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ABC News
ABC News
National
political correspondent Brett Worthington

Shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser quits Liberal frontbench to support Voice to Parliament

Shadow Attorney-General and Indigenous Australians spokesman Julian Leeser has quit the Liberal frontbench, making way for him to campaign for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton last week announced the Liberals would not support a constitutionally enshrined Voice, with the Liberal leader vowing to actively campaign against it in the lead-up to the referendum. 

Mr Leeser has been a longtime supporter of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. 

"Over the past year I have had many respectful discussions with my parliamentary colleagues about the Voice. I have listened to their views and they have heard mine, but ultimately I have not been able to persuade them," Mr Leeser said in a statement.

He was absent from the press conference where Mr Dutton announced the Liberal policy, which the leader said was to allow for Mr Leeser to return to Sydney for Passover.  

While frontbenchers are required to follow party policies, Liberal rules allow for backbenchers to adopt a different position.

Julian Leeser has held the attorney-general and Indigenous Australians portfolio since the last election. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)

"My resignation as a frontbencher is not about personality, it’s about keeping faith with an issue that I have been working on for almost a decade," Mr Leeser said.

Mr Leeser will remain in parliament and will seek to tweak the wording that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed last month. Even if he's unsuccessful, he will campaign for the Voice.

"I believe the time for the Voice has come," Mr Leeser said at a press conference.

"I believe in local and regional Voices. I believe in a national Voice, drawn from local and regional bodies, and l support the referendum being put this year.

"I believe that [a] Voice can help move the dial on Indigenous education, health, housing, safety and economic development."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to holding a referendum on the Voice later this year. If successful, the Voice would have the power to advise the parliament on matters that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

After last week's Liberal party meeting, Tasmanian backbencher Bridget Archer vowed she would campaign for the Voice, as will Tasmanian Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff.

Former Liberal Indigenous Australians minister Ken Wyatt, the first Aboriginal man to hold that portfolio in cabinet, quit the Liberal Party over its position on the Voice

The opposition's position is for recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the constitution but not a Voice to Parliament. It supports regional and local voices but doesn't want them enshrined in the constitution.

Mr Dutton described Mr Leeser as a "dear friend" and someone of great character. He thanked him for his service on the Liberal frontbench.

"He is a person that has our country's best interest at heart and as he pointed out, he doesn't leave with the rancour, he does not leave with bitterness," Mr Dutton said.

"He has gone through a process in our party and his position is at odds with the overwhelming majority of the Liberal Party members in our partyroom."

Julian Leeser has been a longtime supporter of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. (ABC News: Mark Moore)

In 2018, Mr Leeser and Labor's Pat Dodson led a parliamentary committee about constitutional recognition.

Their final report called for local and regional structures, a Voice not having veto over the parliament, and the Voice not being a body that administers programs or services, which would undercut existing groups. 

Ms Archer and Liberal senator Andrew Bragg paid tribute to Mr Leeser, for his work advocating inside the Liberal Party for a Voice. 

Nationals senator Jacinta Nampijinpa-Price, a vocal opponent of the Voice, said Mr Leeser's resignation was "one of the most significant developments" in the Voice debate. 

"This will likely have a substantial impact on the undecided and current No votes," she said.

"He’s certainly shown himself to be a person of principle, as well as incredibly well informed and committed."

Acting Prime Minister Penny Wong said Mr Leeser had shown strength and made a principled decision.

"He understands this is a once in a generation chance to make a real difference in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to help close the gap," she said.

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