A group of Indigenous leaders have written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, urging them to show bipartisanship on the Indigenous Voice to parliament.
The letter, from Empowered Communities leaders, warns Australia is at a “cross roads” on the Voice and the time “for showing leadership is now” ahead of the referendum scheduled for later this year.
“It is in this way the Australian people can be united rather than further divided, and as a nation we can become the very best version of ourselves, one that celebrates our many stories and layered identities,” the letter reads.
It comes as Dutton demanded “details” from the government on how the Voice would work.
The Voice will be an independent, advisory body that will advise the parliament and government on the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on matters that affect them.
Speaking to ABC Radio on Monday, Indigenous leader and Voice campaigner Noel Pearson said the referendum would be a vote on constitutionally enshrining an Indigenous Voice to parliament, while the details of the advisory body would be determined by parliament through legislation if the referendum passes.
The government has already released a draft question for the referendum which reads: “Do you support an alteration to the Constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?”
Albanese said more detail would be provided by the referendum working group after it meets on February 2nd, but reassured voters that the principles on what the advisory body will look like have already been established.
“Last July I released what Australians will potentially be voting for – a draft question and draft constitutional change. There hasn’t been any suggested changes to that draft from the Coalition and they’ve had more than six months to put that forward,” Albanese told News Breakfast.
“The referendum working group have already put out the principles that they want for the Voice, which flows from the reports that have been written.
“Those principles are important. They are that it won’t be a funding body, it won’t administer programs, that it will be elected or appointed by Indigenous people themselves. It won’t have a right to veto, it will be an advisory body only.”
Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney has taken to Twitter to explain that the Voice will be an advisory body.
“The Voice will be an advisory body to government and parliament on matters affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. The Voice will make a practical difference on the ground. By listening to communities, we can make better policies t help close the gap,” she wrote.
Burney urged those looking to learn more about the Voice to visit the government’s website.
In their letter to Albanese and Dutton, Indigenous leaders said the referendum is a “crucial juncture in our nation’s history” and it “behoves you to work together”.
“We agree that the referendum is not about the detail of the Voice but rather the principle that we should have a Voice. The operational details of the Voice will be set out in legislation in due course following a referendum. The details of the model are to be determined by the parliament and changes will be made from time to time as required.”