Tuesday, 3 October 2023

Voice to Parliament

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (13:48): I rise to warn the community about the Voice. The Voice is wrong in principle, it is divisive and it will entrench in the constitution a very negative outcome for Victoria in particular. It will favour elite groups over the productive outcomes that we all desire for Indigenous communities. As I say, this will be very bad for Victoria. The Voice will intervene in every area of federal–state overlap to Victoria’s detriment. Whether it is the grants commission, whether it is the Commonwealth health arrangements with the states, the Commonwealth–state arrangements on education, the Commonwealth–state arrangements on housing, whatever area of government you wish to look at, there will be an intervention by the Voice. The Voice in the circumstances will be particularly powerful given the risk of an activist and adventurous High Court which will in effect lock in key powers for the Voice. It will lock in funding. It will lock in arrangements for the Voice –

A member interjected.

David DAVIS: Oh, yes, it will, and the Voice will be in a position where it is untouchable because the High Court will lock it in given the activist mode of the High Court at the current point. Victoria will be the loser. Victorians always pay more. We always pay a disproportionate share of the taxes and we get less, and the Voice will amplify this to the detriment of Victorians.