Julie Bishop’s warning over the Voice result
Julie Bishop has warned that if the Voice to Parliament results in a “no” vote, it could send a “very negative message” to the rest of the world.
The former foreign minister said that the Voice was an opportunity to “get things right” for Indigenous Australians.
“We’ve done a great deal of research and analysis on the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the Yes campaign, the referendum, and we believe that this is an opportunity to get things right,” she told a Yes campaign event in Perth on Monday.
Bishop was then quizzed about what a “no” vote would mean for Australia's international reputation, to which she said she was “most concerned at the message” it would send to our global friends.
“It’s not a front-of-mind issue for most people, but I know that Australia’s international reputation can be affected by a No vote,” she said.
“I have no doubt that it would be sending a very negative message about the openness, and the empathy, and the respect and responsibility that the Australian people have for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.”
The Voice referendum, like any Australian referendum, requires both a national majority and a majority in at least four of the six states in order to pass.
Reports have suggested that support for the “Yes” campaign is slipping in Western Australia, hence Bishop’s appearance in Perth which was followed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s appearance on a local radio station.
Albo described the Voice as “just an advisory group so that people can listen to what Indigenous people have to say about programs that affect their lives.”
“That is all this is about, so as to get better results,” he said.
“The constitutional change is really straightforward, recognition, listening through a voice in order to get better results. It won’t change the way that parliament functions, it won’t have a right of veto.”
Albanese will announce the date of the referendum at a campaign event in Adelaide on Wednesday, with reports suggesting it will be held on October 14th.
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