Subjects: The Prime Minister’s divisive Voice, Treaty, Truth proposal.
E&OE
PATTY DORAN:
Joining us live in the studio is Mr Peter Dutton, the Opposition Leader. Congratulations and welcome to the show.
PETER DUTTON:
Patty, great to be here. Thank you.
PATTY DORAN:
It’s so bizarre having a politician live in the studio. We don’t often get this, but we’re here to talk about the vote which is happening on the 14th of October – whether we vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the change in the Constitution – and how it reads at the moment: “it’s a proposed law to alter the Constitution to recognise an Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve of this proposed alteration?”.
So you have spoken of how that language isn’t suitable. So what alternative language would you suggest?
PETER DUTTON:
Well Patty, first thing I think when people first heard about the Voice, they thought this is a really respectful way that we can recognise our Indigenous heritage, which is incredibly important. Secondly, it’s a way that we could provide support to people in Indigenous communities.
The trouble is that the support started at 65 per cent and is now 35 per cent because the detail about how that would work hasn’t been provided. We’ve tried to work with the PM. I wrote to him in January of this year asking 15 questions just to say, ‘well, you know, I think there are millions of Australians who want to understand the detail, how it will work, we don’t just want another bureaucracy, we don’t want money wasted. We want kids to be able to go to school in Indigenous communities. We want housing, we want health outcomes. So, you know, give us the detail, tell us how it’s going to work’.
PATTY DORAN:
Yeah.
PETER DUTTON:
But it’s been a deliberate strategy not to give that detail, and I think that’s why the number has turned from 65 per cent support into 35 per cent and I think a lot of Australians, you know, yes, absolutely want recognition, but they don’t support the Voice and the Voice is permanent once it goes into the Constitution.
Don’t forget, since Federation – and our Constitution is basically our nation’s rulebook, I think it’s one of the biggest reasons why we’ve remained a stable democracy since that time, the best country in the world – it’s because on 44 occasions Australians have been asked to change the Constitution and they’ve only supported it on eight occasions. So, Australians are pretty hesitant to change it unless they understand all the detail.
I think on Saturday, I think people increasingly are going to vote ‘no’ because it’s permanent. Once it goes into the Constitution, there’s no law you can pass in Parliament which can override the wording in the Constitution and the wording that’s proposed on Saturday by the PM is so broad, lots of lawyers say that the High Court will open that up to interpretation and it’ll be much more far reaching than what we realise.
PATTY DORAN:
Yeah. So Mr Dutton, what would you actually change the language in that?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, I would drop the Voice part and go with recognition.
PATTY DORAN:
Okay.
PETER DUTTON:
…And that’s been our Party’s position for a long time. There would need to be a bipartisan position with the Labor Party to be able to do that, but I think that would be respectful.
Then I think you do the practical things on the ground. We’ve proposed, for example, some boarding schools within some of the existing schools in the Northern Territory – so the kids have got good accommodation, they’ve got good health services, they’ve got a safe place where they can stay in many, many more things – but practical examples like that.
PATTY DORAN:
Yeah. So what’s the timeline of which we would then see change and an amendment to how we would recognise Indigenous voices in the Constitution if the ‘no’ vote was to get up?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, as I say, I think people are focussed at the moment on the vote that’s before them, which is the wording that we’ve got. So, that can’t change before Saturday. Then I think in terms of timing and other proposals and form of words, you know, all of that’s worked out in time. But I think the proposition now and the focus now is the question before us whether we vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
As Jacinta Price and Warren Mundine and others have been saying – and many other Indigenous leaders as well have been saying; it’s permanent once it goes into the Constitution, it’s divisive and it’s not going to provide the practical outcomes – and I think that’s the focus that people should have between now and Saturday.
PATTY DORAN:
Would you recommend a second Referendum then, because I’ve heard you mention that a few times?
PETER DUTTON:
Well, I’d said before, and it’s been our policy for a long time, that recognition is a respectful thing to do, but you can only get a Referendum up, as is being demonstrated now, if you’ve got bipartisan support. The Prime Minister says that he won’t support that. I don’t understand why, but that’s where he’s at, at the moment.
PATTY DORAN:
Okay. So we’re going to the polls on the 14th…
PETER DUTTON:
Correct.
PATTY DORAN:
…and we’re voting ‘yes’ or ‘no’. So that’s probably the last thing that we can leave you with right now. Mr Dutton, thank you so much for joining us.
PETER DUTTON:
Pleasure. Thanks, Patty.
PATTY DORAN:
Thank you so much.
[ends]