Anthony Albanese has accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of undermining efforts to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the constitution.
The prime minister reiterated calls for bipartisanship on the issue, days after he announced the question that would be put to the public later this year at the referendum and the proposed constitutional change.
While Mr Dutton has called on the government to release legal advice on the voice from the solicitor-general, Mr Albanese said there was still no sign of anything that would convince the opposition leader to get on board.
“Would you think that there is any sign … in any of the times in which Peter Dutton has been asked a question about the voice to parliament, other than that he is undermining a support for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? I’m awaiting it,” he told reporters in Canberra.
“I sincerely hope that the Australian people support ‘yes’, and I hope that it is receives the unanimous support of this parliament.”
Mr Albanese said he wasn’t as prescriptive on the voice to allow other parties to come to the table on the proposal.
Attorney-General Marl Dreyfus said legal advice from the solicitor-general would not be released, citing it would break with precedent.
“It would be inconsistent with long-standing practice that successive governments, including the government for the last nine years in which Mr Dutton was a part, to release solicitor-general advice,” he told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
“This has been a very comprehensive and rigorous process. The solicitor-general’s been closely involved in the process. Many other constitutional experts have been involved in the process.”
A bill setting up the referendum will be introduced to parliament on Thursday, and will then be sent to an inquiry with the aim of passing it at the June sittings.
The referendum is slated to be held between October and December.
Constitutional lawyer Bret Walker welcomed the news of the final wording being proposed for the referendum.
“It seemed to be to be a very safe formula, with a bit of a double precaution against some of the notions that were slated by opponents,” he told ABC Radio.
“There’s absolutely no possibility now that parliament will not be able to control the manner in which executive, for example, will deal with representations by the voice. All of that now has been put beyond any doubt by the explicit capacity of parliament.”
Nationals leader David Littleproud said the party would not shift its position on the voice following the question’s release.
While the Liberals have yet to determine their stance, the Nationals last year said they would oppose the reform.
“We just need a better bureaucracy, not a bigger bureaucracy,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
“When you’ve got lawyers now at 100 paces squaring up with each other … it’s beholden on the government to take the Australian people into their trust and to release the solicitor-general’s advice around this because this is going to add more conjecture.”
– AAP
