A member of the government’s advisory group on the voice referendum says there “is no room for mediocrity” on the Indigenous consultation body, as it prepares to give its final advice on the constitutional amendment and the wording of the question to be put to voters.
The group remains resolved to support the draft constitutional clause allowing the voice to advise both the executive government and the parliament, despite doubts aired by some critics, with key members adamant it must be able to speak to the administrative branch.
“We are committed to ensuring the amendment is as strong as possible, as the Australian public and Aboriginal communities would expect,” said the working group member Marcus Stewart.
The government’s referendum working group met again on Thursday, with the Greens’ Adam Bandt and Dorinda Cox joining the the group of Indigenous leaders including Prof Megan Davis, Prof Marcia Langton, Pat Anderson and Noel Pearson.
The expert group advising the government is due to present its final advice on the constitutional alteration and the referendum question next week, following a meeting in Adelaide.
A communique from the meeting, issued by the Indigenous Australians minister, Linda Burney, said the group “progressed its discussions about the wording of the change to the constitution and the question on the ballot paper”.
There has been some minor disagreement about whether the voice should have the power to advise the executive government, as well as the parliament, which could allow the voice to have input into administrative decisions, the development of laws and the work of public servants.
A small number of working group members, as well as conservative politicians and commentators outside the group, have raised concerns that this would clog up government processes and lead to litigation.
Guardian Australia understands the group remains almost unanimous in its support for the voice’s power to advise executive government to remain in the wording of the constitutional amendment.
Stewart, the co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and partner of Labor senator Jana Stewart, said the group was “close” to its final advice.
“A decision will be made next week,” he told Guardian Australia.
“There is no room for mediocrity in this process.”
Burney’s office confirmed the government would introduce the Constitution Alteration Bill to parliament in the coming sitting fortnight at the end of March, which would be followed by a parliamentary inquiry.
The alteration bill is expected to be tabled in the final week of March.
Working group members described the meeting with Bandt and Cox as “positive” and said they had expressed “solid support” for the referendum. The group told the Greens about “the path forward to implementing all elements of the Uluru statement from the heart”.
The minor party has pushed for more immediate focus on the truth and treaty elements of the Uluru statement, alongside voice.
Bandt said before the meeting he hoped the referendum would be successful, but also backed concerns from Cox, the Greens’ Indigenous affairs spokesperson, about the level of detail needed to be released publicly to ensure the vote prevails.
Cox told the Nine newspapers that the government “needs to communicate what the referendum is all about more effectively”.
At a press conference, Bandt backed her comments.
“Senator Cox was making the point that there needs to be a clear message put to people about why this is important. We have a very clear position on that, this is a step toward First Nations justice,” he said.
Bandt said there were “other things” the Greens would also push for in the Indigenous affairs space, referencing the party’s focus on the truth and treaty elements of the Uluru statement from the heart, but noting that he wanted the vote to win.
“We need a clear understanding about why this is important, because we want this referendum to succeed,” he said.
The Greens have voiced support for the Referendum Machinery Act amendments, but have proposed amendments of their own including fact-checking on the official pamphlet, lowering the monetary threshold for disclosing donations to $1,000, and extending telephone voting.
The independent senator David Pocock is also seeking amendments to ensure tighter donation rules and faster disclosures, as well as a Referendum Pamphlet Review Panel to scrutinise the official information booklet.
The former Greens senator turned independent Lidia Thorpe has proposed amendments to allow enrolment and voting on the day, to benefit Indigenous people who may not be enrolled, as well as extending phone voting for remote areas. She also wants the official information pamphlet to be translated into more traditional languages.
