Anthony Albanese calls out ‘great lie’ of No camp ahead of Indigenous Voice referendum

Anthony Albanese has doubled down on declaring one of the main arguments of the No campaign a ‘big lie’ as he pleads with undecided Australians to vote Yes in the ‘Voice to Parliament’ referendum.

On Saturday, Australians will go to the polls to vote in the first referendum since 1999, where they will be asked whether they agree to include an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the constitution.

Already, about two million people, including the prime minister, have voted in the primary.

All published polls have the referendum on track to fail, but Mr Albanese says he remains hopeful Australians will come together and vote Yes.

He said Yes campaigns always had the hardest task of convincing Australians, pointing to the fact that only eight of the 44 referendums in Australia’s history had been successful, but said the arguments put forward by the No campaign had be harmful and dishonest.

Mr Albanese said Coalition of Indigenous Australians spokeswoman and No campaign leader Jacinta Nampijinpa Price that the Voice would divide Australia by race was a ‘big lie’.

“There is now racial power in our Constitution,” Albanese told ABC Insiders.

“And what this (referendum) is about is indigenous issues, not race… Every other former colony in the world… has recognized its first peoples in its founding document.

in the peoples) to be heard. Learn about the special 65,000-year connection to the land and waters that Indigenous Australians have. ‘

Asked if Senator Price was ‘lying to Australians’, Mr Albanese said it was ‘not true to say this is divisive’.

“This is an opportunity to bring the country together,” he said.

He said Australia was ‘last in line’ when it came to recognizing the role of Indigenous Australians in its history.

“A yes vote is a vote to show respect for Indigenous Australians. It’s an opportunity for non-Indigenous Australians to lift that burden, but it’s something that will be seen by much of the world as well,” he said.

He said the world was watching him closely.

“Australia is … about how we are perceived and it will be seen as an uplifting moment,” he said.

“It will be seen that Australia has come to terms with its history, that we are a mature nation and we would be diminished if we vote No.

Mr Albanese reiterated that the government will not legislate the Voice if the referendum fails, saying it would be ‘inappropriate’.

Asked if he would ‘quit’ the Voice in the event of a No vote, Mr Albanese said ‘correct’.

“Indigenous Australians have said they want a Voice that is inclusive,” he said.

“What they don’t want to do is what they’ve done time and time again, which is to set up representative organizations, only to see, for opportunistic reasons, a government come in and just abolish it.”

The argument for including a Voice in the constitution rather than its legislation ensures that it cannot be repealed unless there is another referendum.

The opposition has led the charge in calling for the Prime Minister to legislate One Voice and recognize only the Australian people in a referendum.

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley earlier told Sky News it was a ‘lose-lose’ whatever the outcome next Saturday, but the country needed to ensure it ‘pulled together’ the next day to move forward.

“It’s going to be nasty, divisive and unhappy for Australians the next day. So we have to unite the country”, she said.

“I won’t be happy, by the way, if Jo wins. I will vote no with a heavy heart.’

She said the Liberal Party was still committed to legislating for regional and local voices and remained committed to recognizing Indigenous Australians in the constitution without the ‘divisive’ voice.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced last month his intention to hold a second First Nations recognition referendum if the Coalition won the next election, but later scaled back his commitment after Senator Price refused to support it.

Ms Ley said a second referendum, coupled with the legislature of local and regional voices, “underpins our determination to recognize Indigenous Australians in our Constitution”.