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| Noel Pearson warns of ‘almost endless protest’ if Indigenous voice referendum fails | Noel Pearson warns of ‘almost endless protest’ if Indigenous voice referendum fails |
| (10 days later) | |
| Pearson says reconciliation efforts would be ‘dead’ if the proposal is rejected, while a yes vote would have ‘tectonic’ positive change | Pearson says reconciliation efforts would be ‘dead’ if the proposal is rejected, while a yes vote would have ‘tectonic’ positive change |
| Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has called Tony Abbott’s calls to scrap the voice to parliament “absurd”, claiming the proposal has been examined longer than any other public policy idea, and warning that a no vote could lead to a future of “almost endless protest”. | Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has called Tony Abbott’s calls to scrap the voice to parliament “absurd”, claiming the proposal has been examined longer than any other public policy idea, and warning that a no vote could lead to a future of “almost endless protest”. |
| Pearson, an architect of the voice, said on Monday that he feared reconciliation efforts would be “dead” if the referendum failed and predicted years of protests if the voice was rejected. By contrast, a yes vote would have “tectonic” positive change for the nation, he said. | Pearson, an architect of the voice, said on Monday that he feared reconciliation efforts would be “dead” if the referendum failed and predicted years of protests if the voice was rejected. By contrast, a yes vote would have “tectonic” positive change for the nation, he said. |
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| “The country is going to change the minute we vote on this, and change for the better. We’ll put a lot of bad things behind us when we do this. It’s a simple change, but it’s very profound,” he told a parliamentary committee investigating the referendum. | “The country is going to change the minute we vote on this, and change for the better. We’ll put a lot of bad things behind us when we do this. It’s a simple change, but it’s very profound,” he told a parliamentary committee investigating the referendum. |
| Former prime minister Abbott had addressed the committee’s hearing in Canberra earlier on Monday, calling for the referendum to be “pulled”. | Former prime minister Abbott had addressed the committee’s hearing in Canberra earlier on Monday, calling for the referendum to be “pulled”. |
| “I urge this committee to recommend to the government that the current proposal be significantly altered,” Abbott said. “I think there’s confusion and division everywhere.” | “I urge this committee to recommend to the government that the current proposal be significantly altered,” Abbott said. “I think there’s confusion and division everywhere.” |
| “The last thing we want is a referendum proposal that fails. It would leave Australians embittered and divided. But I suspect that if this succeeds, it will also likely leave us embittered and divided.” | “The last thing we want is a referendum proposal that fails. It would leave Australians embittered and divided. But I suspect that if this succeeds, it will also likely leave us embittered and divided.” |
| The former Liberal leader spoke strongly against the voice, calling it wrong and dangerous. He called for the proposal to be altered to ensure “nothing should be justiciable” about the voice, raising a concern of the no campaign that the voice’s power to make representations to the executive government would lead to court challenges if that advice was not followed. | The former Liberal leader spoke strongly against the voice, calling it wrong and dangerous. He called for the proposal to be altered to ensure “nothing should be justiciable” about the voice, raising a concern of the no campaign that the voice’s power to make representations to the executive government would lead to court challenges if that advice was not followed. |
| That concern has been rejected by numerous constitutional experts. Solicitor general Stephen Donaghue said in a legal opinion that there were “no such requirements” for the executive to follow the voice’s representations, or consult with the voice before developing policy or making decisions, as has been claimed by critics. | That concern has been rejected by numerous constitutional experts. Solicitor general Stephen Donaghue said in a legal opinion that there were “no such requirements” for the executive to follow the voice’s representations, or consult with the voice before developing policy or making decisions, as has been claimed by critics. |
| Pearson said the “hysteria” about the role of the high court was “unjustified and a bit of an affront to our democracy”. | Pearson said the “hysteria” about the role of the high court was “unjustified and a bit of an affront to our democracy”. |
| “The high court has a role in relation to any legislation and any citizen is allowed to go to court to test a provision,” he said. “I don’t see it as justifying the scare campaign.” | “The high court has a role in relation to any legislation and any citizen is allowed to go to court to test a provision,” he said. “I don’t see it as justifying the scare campaign.” |
| Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who last month quit shadow cabinet to campaign for the voice, told the hearing he expected the no campaign would focus their efforts in the smaller population states of Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia to scupper the double majority needed for the referendum to pass. He again called for changes to the wording to limit scare campaigns around the executive government provision. | Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who last month quit shadow cabinet to campaign for the voice, told the hearing he expected the no campaign would focus their efforts in the smaller population states of Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia to scupper the double majority needed for the referendum to pass. He again called for changes to the wording to limit scare campaigns around the executive government provision. |
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| “My worry is a referendum failure will haunt our country for decades,” Leeser said. “The question will be, did we make it as easy as possible for Australians to vote yes?” | “My worry is a referendum failure will haunt our country for decades,” Leeser said. “The question will be, did we make it as easy as possible for Australians to vote yes?” |
| Asked about Abbott’s calls to ditch the referendum, Pearson noted the roots of the voice go back to 2007. | Asked about Abbott’s calls to ditch the referendum, Pearson noted the roots of the voice go back to 2007. |
| “This has been going on for nigh on 16 years for now … I’m struggling to find any other example of a public policy issue in Australia that has taken as long as this to reach this point,” Pearson said. | “This has been going on for nigh on 16 years for now … I’m struggling to find any other example of a public policy issue in Australia that has taken as long as this to reach this point,” Pearson said. |
| “It’s absurd to suggest we should ditch it and go back to the drawing board.” | “It’s absurd to suggest we should ditch it and go back to the drawing board.” |
| Father Frank Brennan used the hearing to continue his calls for changes to the constitutional amendment. The conservative academic says he is an unabashed supporter of the voice, but has consistently called for its power to advise “executive government” to be changed to “ministers of state”. | Father Frank Brennan used the hearing to continue his calls for changes to the constitutional amendment. The conservative academic says he is an unabashed supporter of the voice, but has consistently called for its power to advise “executive government” to be changed to “ministers of state”. |
| He claimed this would attract more support from conservatives, saying he wanted the referendum to pass in a way “that attracts mass support”. | He claimed this would attract more support from conservatives, saying he wanted the referendum to pass in a way “that attracts mass support”. |
| But Labor senator Linda White noted the weight of legal opinion backing the current wording, including esteemed academics including Anne Twomey and George Williams, the Law Council, and high-profile barrister Bret Walker SC. | But Labor senator Linda White noted the weight of legal opinion backing the current wording, including esteemed academics including Anne Twomey and George Williams, the Law Council, and high-profile barrister Bret Walker SC. |
| “That doesn’t mean a minority person can’t be right but when you have an avalanche of opinion against you, that’s something we have to weigh up,” White said. | “That doesn’t mean a minority person can’t be right but when you have an avalanche of opinion against you, that’s something we have to weigh up,” White said. |
| Pearson said he envisaged members of the voice acting as ambassadors or spokespeople for their communities, rubbishing Coalition claims it would be a “Canberra voice”. | Pearson said he envisaged members of the voice acting as ambassadors or spokespeople for their communities, rubbishing Coalition claims it would be a “Canberra voice”. |
| “The impact of it is going to be absolutely tectonic. It’s going to change the country in a good way,” Pearson said. | “The impact of it is going to be absolutely tectonic. It’s going to change the country in a good way,” Pearson said. |
| Asked about the future of reconciliation efforts if the referendum failed, he replied: “It’ll die. It’ll be dead.” | Asked about the future of reconciliation efforts if the referendum failed, he replied: “It’ll die. It’ll be dead.” |
| “If fearmongering about it resulted in a no vote, it would be a complete tragedy for the country. I don’t know you could pick up the pieces after that … a future of almost endless protest,” he said. | “If fearmongering about it resulted in a no vote, it would be a complete tragedy for the country. I don’t know you could pick up the pieces after that … a future of almost endless protest,” he said. |