Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Voice to Parliament

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (16:20): I rise to pay tribute to the leaders of the campaign who successfully opposed the divisive Voice referendum so resoundingly defeated on Saturday. Peter Dutton, David Littleproud, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, Warren Mundine and the Honourable Tony Abbott led the national no campaign, and in Victoria federal MPs, including Senator James Paterson and, in my electorate, Senator Sarah Henderson and Dan Tehan, worked hard to ensure that race was not embedded in our constitution.

Across Western Victoria Region not one of the six federal electorates voted yes. Across Australia every state voted no and only the ACT voted yes. This may well indicate just how out of touch that public service dominated territory really is. Most notable, however, is the fact that the Northern Territory registered a resounding no. It seems the starkest dividing line in Australia is not between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people but between the inner-city elites of the eastern states and the rest of the country. The no vote was not a vote for the status quo or against any action; in fact it has highlighted the failures of the status quo. I hope it will prove the catalyst for a full audit of the expenditure directed to Aboriginal issues across Australia so that taxpayer money can be effectively spent to close the gap without permanently constitutionally entrenching new experimental, ineffective and unnecessary division.