Noel Pearson: ‘I haven’t found a compelling reason to change the words’ of voice proposal
Josh Butler
Indigenous leader Noel Pearson says Aboriginal people have already made years of compromises to get to the proposed voice to parliament, saying he would see no compelling reason to change the wording suggested by the government.
Pearson, an architect of the voice and the Uluru dialogues that led to it, said he “can’t understand” numerous criticisms of the voice, because it would be up to politicians themselves to decide what representations from the consultation body they wanted to listen to.
Pearson told the parliamentary committee today:
These are beautiful words. The proposal will adorn the constitution.
I haven’t found a compelling reason to change the words the government has introduced into the House…. children of the future will look back on these words and really be proud of the constitution.
Pearson appeared at the committee after No campaign leaders Warren Mundine and Tony Abbott. He called the proposed change “a good provision” that had “a real sense of history”.
It honours Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s a safe provision. It’s a provision that meets the needs of Australia and the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Critics of the voice have called for further changes to the proposed constitutional alteration, including changing or watering down which parts of government it should be able to speak to. Pearson said he didn’t see any need for changes.
Many of the compromises have already been made. They’ve been made over the last 9 years and even before that, and all of the compromises have come from Indigenous advocates.
All of this attempt at trying to find the best compromise possible, have happened at various points in the last decade. There’s no justification for moving from the words the prime minister and government are proposing to put to the parliament.
Key events
Josh Butler
Pearson on voice: ‘This is an enhancement of democracy, not an affront to it’
Noel Pearson said he was “so excited” for the referendum, voicing major optimism for the change to the constitution and saying it would not negatively affect the nation or parliament.
He told the committee:
I’m so excited for the country. I really look forward to the referendum. I believe this is gonna be a good thing for our country, a good thing for our democracy.
The provision is not gonna create a separate democracy.
Indicating the politicians appearing as members of the committee, Pearson said: “you are our democracy, the senate and House of Representatives are our democracy.”
What the voice does is improve it, by giving a voice to the most marginal community in the country.
This is an enhancement of democracy, not an affront to it.
Pearson went on to say that the voice would be at the whims of parliament:
The bit I can’t understand is, the people who will discern whether the advice is good or bad, or worth listening to or worth following and not, are the parliamentarians.
You get to decide which of the advice you take on board and which you reject. It’s the listener that gets to decide what’s compelling about the voice. We provide the voice, you get to determine which parts you listen to.
Noel Pearson: ‘I haven’t found a compelling reason to change the words’ of voice proposal
Josh Butler
Indigenous leader Noel Pearson says Aboriginal people have already made years of compromises to get to the proposed voice to parliament, saying he would see no compelling reason to change the wording suggested by the government.
Pearson, an architect of the voice and the Uluru dialogues that led to it, said he “can’t understand” numerous criticisms of the voice, because it would be up to politicians themselves to decide what representations from the consultation body they wanted to listen to.
Pearson told the parliamentary committee today:
These are beautiful words. The proposal will adorn the constitution.
I haven’t found a compelling reason to change the words the government has introduced into the House…. children of the future will look back on these words and really be proud of the constitution.
Pearson appeared at the committee after No campaign leaders Warren Mundine and Tony Abbott. He called the proposed change “a good provision” that had “a real sense of history”.
It honours Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s a safe provision. It’s a provision that meets the needs of Australia and the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Critics of the voice have called for further changes to the proposed constitutional alteration, including changing or watering down which parts of government it should be able to speak to. Pearson said he didn’t see any need for changes.
Many of the compromises have already been made. They’ve been made over the last 9 years and even before that, and all of the compromises have come from Indigenous advocates.
All of this attempt at trying to find the best compromise possible, have happened at various points in the last decade. There’s no justification for moving from the words the prime minister and government are proposing to put to the parliament.
Adeshola Ore
Victorian Coalition to let MPs choose own position on voice to parliament
The Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, says the Coalition recognises “freedom is important” after its frontbench agreed to let MPs choose their position on the proposed Indigenous voice to parliament.
The state’s shadow cabinet met on Monday morning and unanimously agreed to give MPs the freedom to campaign for either the yes or no vote rather than be bound by a party policy, according to senior opposition sources.
The decision puts the Victorian Coalition at odds with its federal colleagues after the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, bound his frontbench to campaigning against a constitutionally enshrined voice.
Pesutto told reporters it was a “commonsense” approach:
We value the freedom of each member to determine for themselves which way they’ll approach a national issue.
Freedom is an important principle that we want to uphold in our party.
The decision is expected to be greenlit at a party room meeting on Tuesday.
Wong: over 150 Australians have evacuated Sudan
The foreign affairs minister Penny Wong said that with assistance from international partners, more than 150 Australians have safely left Sudan.
Wong welcomed an extension of the ceasefire in Sudan until May 3, and urged Australians to “consider leaving Sudan as soon as possible.”
Australia welcomes the extension of the ceasefire in Sudan until May 3.
We call on all parties to agree to a permanent cessation of hostilities and work towards civilian-led democracy.
We continue to work with partners to evacuate Australians wanting to leave Sudan.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) May 1, 2023
Tributes flow for MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo
Beverley McGarvey, the executive vice president of Paramount ANZ, described Jock Zonfrillo as an “extraordinary man”.
He was a wonderful colleague and friend, and we feel very privileged to have had him play such an important and impactful role in MasterChef.
Despite all his notable professional milestones, nothing brought him more joy or happiness than his family. Our thoughts are with them at this very difficult time.
The CEO of Endemol Shine Australia, Peter Newman, described him as an “incredible talent” who brought joy into the homes of people right across Australia and the world.
We are shocked and extremely saddened by the news of Jock’s passing. Jock was an incredible talent, not just as a renowned chef, but as someone who could bring joy into the homes of people in Australia and around the world in his role as judge on MasterChef Australia.
On set he was loved by the team and his passion for food and the show was infectious. He was also a brilliant champion for the contestants on MasterChef, always wanting the very best for them.
He will be deeply missed by the entire MasterChef team. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo dies
The Zonfrillo family has this afternoon confirmed the sad passing of television presenter Jock Zonfrillo yesterday in Melbourne.
In a statement, the family said:
With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday.
So many words can describe him, so many stories can be told, but at this time we’re too overwhelmed to put them into words. For those who crossed his path, became his mate, or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky.
We implore you to please let us grieve privately as we find a way to navigate through this and find space on the other side to celebrate our irreplaceable husband, father, brother, son and friend.
In a statement, Network 10 and Endemol Shine Australia said they are “shocked and saddened” at the sudden loss.
Jock was known to Australians as a chef, best-selling author, philanthropist and MasterChef judge but he will be best remembered as a loving father, husband, brother and son.
In 2019, Jock was named as a judge on MasterChef Australia in which he took great pride in challenging and coaching the contestants and of course inspiring a nation of home cooks.
Jock’s charisma, wicked sense of humour, generosity, passion and love for food and his family cannot be measured. He will be greatly missed.
MasterChef Australia will not air this week.
Josh Butler
Warren Mundine will support voice if it passes referendum but says critics are ‘silenced’ due to public support
The No campaign leader Warren Mundine says he will nonetheless fight for the Voice to be successful if the referendum passes, but has alleged critics of the referendum have felt “silenced” due to the major public support for the change.
Mundine, leader of the Recognise A Better Way campaign, one of the leading No organisations, appeared before the parliamentary committee into the referendum. He claimed that professional football players had approached him with concerns over the AFL and NRL preparing to back the voice referendum.
He said the only club to invite him for a discussion was the Collingwood football club, where he said he gave an address to the club. Collingwood was recently the first major club to officially unveil its support for the voice.
The Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle put it to Mundine that the major public support for the voice had “the potential to silence people” who didn’t agree. He claimed:
It has silenced people. Anyone who says it hasn’t, you’re off in la-la land.
People are approaching me all the time about it, they’re scared. I’ve personally experienced it from my investors, about the threats that go around.
But despite leading the no push, Mundine said he would support the voice if it was successfully passed at the referendum.
If people vote yes, if the yes campaign gets up, I will fight for it to be successful. Why? Because even though I’m a no person, this is a democracy, people have the freedom and right to vote whatever way they want.
Mundine’s testimony continues.
Emily Wind
Thanks to Mostafa for taking us through the morning! I’ll be with you for the remainder of the day.
And with that, I leave the blog in the hands of Emily Wind. Thanks for reading.
Josh Butler
Abbott: ‘I don’t think anyone should have a special voice’
Abbott said he “thanks God” for the rising number of Indigenous MPs in federal parliament, in saying why he doesn’t think the voice to parliament is needed.
Instead, Abbott has repeated a talking point of the no campaign, saying that the increasing number of Aboriginal politicians (currently 11 in the federal parliament) was a sufficient “voice” for Indigenous people.
“We’re proposing a special voice for Indigenous people but we’re not proposing a special voice for migrants. We’re not proposing a special voice for people based on religion. I don’t think anyone should have a special voice. I think everyone should have the same voice, and the voice for all of us is the national parliament,” he told the committee.
That’s why probably the single best thing that’s happened for Indigenous people over the last decade or so is the very big increase in the number of Indigenous people in the parliament. 11 separate Indigenous voices in the parliament today. Not because of quotas, not because of affirmative action, but because political parties and the people of Australia in their wisdom thought Indigenous people had the qualities to represent all of us. I applaud that and I thank God for it.
Abbott said he backed constitutional recognition of Australia’s Indigenous people, but instead proposed symbolic recognition in a preamble – which was comprehensively rejected by Indigenous Australians through the processes of the Uluru dialogue.
“I still think it’s important that we achieve Indigenous recognition but this is so much more than recognition. This is about government,” Abbott said.
I don’t want to change the way we govern, I just want to acknowledge the fact that Indigenous people were here first and should be respected as the first Australians. If it was me, I would amend the preamble.
Josh Butler
Abbott shrugs off legal advice on voice from solicitor general
Tony Abbott has shrugged off the legal advice given by the solicitor general backing in the legal soundness of the proposed Indigenous voice, noting that Dr Stephen Donaghue KC was recently “significantly wrong” on a case.
Abbott, appearing before the inquiry into the referendum, claimed that the SG’s advice was “minimising the risk but isn’t ruling it out.”
Donaghue’s advice said the proposed constitutional amendment “would not pose any threat to Australia’s system of representative and responsible government”, and that the voice would “enhance” the system of government.
But Abbott said he still had concerns.
“The solicitor general’s view has to be taken seriously, but as we know, solicitor-generals don’t make these decisions … The solicitor general was in fact significantly wrong on a recent matter regarding Indigeneity, namely the Love case,” he said.
“While the solicitor general is a distinguished lawyer, no doubt about that, other lawyers of no less distinction including former high court judge Ian Callinan and Terrence Cole have come up with a different view.”
Tony Abbott: no matter the result, voice referendum will leave Australians ‘embittered and divided’
Josh Butler
Former PM Tony Abbott is now appearing before the parliamentary committee into the Indigenous voice. It won’t surprise you that Abbott is not in favour of the voice – and has claimed that no matter the result of the referendum, it would leave Australians “embittered and divided”.
The former Coalition leader called it “a very significant change to our constitution. It needs more attention and scrutiny than it’s getting … this process has been altogether too abbreviated,” he claimed.
Abbott described the voice as “wrong in principle and potentially quite dangerous in practice”, claiming it would “divide our country on the basis of ancestry”.
“The last thing we want is a referendum proposal that fails. It would leave Australians embittered and divided. But I suspect that if this succeeds it will also likely leave us embittered and divided,” he said.
Abbott claimed that the referendum process had become the property of “a certain Indigenous leadership” and alleged that there was not as widespread support for the voice in Aboriginal communities as supporters have said.
Polling conducted by YouGov, commissioned by the Uluru dialogue, surveyed 732 Indigenous people across the 151 federal electorates. It found that 83% would vote yes if the referendum was held today, 11% no, and 4% remain undecided. The Uluru dialogue called it “the most statistically significant and sophisticated of its type”, surveying Indigenous people in metropolitan, regional and more remote areas.
Abbott accused the government of having conducted the referendum process “badly from the beginning.”
“I think this particular proposal should be pulled and done in a less partisan way,” he said.
“I urge this committee to recommend to the government that the current proposal be significantly altered”, Abbott said, urging that the proposal be changed to ensure that “nothing should be justiciable”.
“I think there’s confusion and division everywhere,” he alleged.
Josh Butler
Allegra Spender on infrastructure: ‘too much temptation to cherry-pick projects’
Independent MP Allegra Spender has backed the government’s planned review into infrastructure spending, calling it “a drag on our deficit” but warned “they need to do it right”.
Minister Catherine King today announced a 90-day review of projects under the $120 billion infrastructure investment program, claiming the former Coalition government saddled the fund with “press release projects” that would never be finished or were not properly funded.
But Labor election commitments won’t be scrutinised by the review, King said.
Spender, MP for the seat of Wentworth, said both major parties had incentives in government to “cherry pick” projects for electoral reasons. She called for major projects “to be independently and consistently assessed to ensure they deliver a positive benefit-cost ratio – before the government can invest.”
“We will be pushing an amendment to achieve this in the upcoming Infrastructure Australia bill, and I hope to have the government’s support, as it was the PMs idea in 2014,” Spender said in a statement.
“Second, we need the independent umpire – Infrastructure Australia – to define the critical infrastructure challenges and opportunities. Whoever the government is, there’s too much temptation to cherry-pick projects which suit their political interests.”
“Third, we need to learn from the past. Reference class forecasting would help prevent cost blowouts by providing realistic estimates based on past experience. Governments generally hate it because fewer projects will get up if we know the real cost in advance.”
Adeshola Ore
Victorian Coalition MPs will be free to choose position on Indigenous voice
The state’s shadow cabinet met on Monday morning and unanimously agreed to give MPs the freedom to campaign for either the yes or no vote rather than be bound by a party policy, according to senior opposition sources.
The decision puts the Victorian Coalition at odds with its federal colleagues after opposition leader Peter Dutton bound his frontbench to campaigning against a constitutionally enshrined voice.
The plan will be green-lit at Liberal and Nationals party room meetings ahead of parliament resuming on Tuesday.
Caitlin Cassidy
University workers to launch industrial action
Every campus across the country will launch industrial action and protests this week as university workers push back against wage theft, casual employment and underfunding.
The action will begin today and come to a crescendo on Wednesday with thousands of workers Monash, Melbourne and Deakin universities to walk off campus and converge on the Victorian Trades Hall.
The week of action, launched by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) comes in protest to chronic casualisation in the sector. Approximately three in ten university jobs are currently permanent.
Three universities have accepted de-casualisation clauses in the past six months, including Western Sydney University, Australian Catholic University and University of Technology Sydney.
The University of Sydney is poised to enact a clause converting 330 casual positions to permanent following almost two years of bargaining negotiations.
NTEU president Dr Alison Barnes said de-casualisation provisions should be rolled out in the enterprise bargaining agreements of every Australian university.
For too long, Australian universities have allowed casualisation and its toxic twin, wage theft, to flourish. We are actively bargaining at 24 universities and intend to give thousands of workers the rights, security and stability that comes with permanent employment.
NTEU general secretary Dr Damien Cahill said the workforce was at breaking point.
Tertiary education is one of Australia’s biggest export earners … yet we are constantly devalued and treated as a budget line item expenditure.