Anthony Albanese fires off cranky tweet as Peter Dutton raises questions about Voice to Parliament

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese harshly criticized Peter Dutton after the opposition leader sent the prime minister a list of questions asking for details about his Aboriginal Voice proposal to Parliament.

Albanese hopes the country will support Labour’s proposed parliamentary advisory body in a referendum later this year, but the plan has been criticized for lacking an explanation of how it would work.

On Sunday, Dutton accused the prime minister of treating Australians “like mugs” and demanded that Labor develop its plan by answering 15 questions about the composition of the proposed Voice and its role.

Albanese issued an angry tweet on Sunday night, angered by how Dutton posted his questions in an open letter to the media, when the pair had caught up and chatted privately at cricket last week.

Anthony Albanese (pictured with partner Jodie at the Boxing Day Test) responded after the opposition leader sent an open letter about

“So even though I spoke to Peter Dutton on Friday at the McGrath Foundation event, he gives a letter to various media outlets as ‘exclusive’ about constitutional recognition and the Uluṟu Declaration, a letter I haven’t seen yet,” Mr. Albanese tweeted. .

“People like cheap culture war stunts.”

Dutton said his letter was issued on behalf of millions of Australians “who just want the details”.

He claimed that his rival was “making a catastrophic mistake” by failing to provide “accessible, clear and complete” information about the proposed Voice.

Dutton added that the government risked losing the referendum if it did not let the public know exactly why it was voting and believed that the proposed voice would fail if the questions were not answered.

People have reasonable questions. There are many Australians who if they had details on a particular model, they could back the voice up,” Dutton told reporters on Sunday.

“You can’t just tell the Australian public as prime minister, ‘you vote in an election…on a Saturday and we’ll give you the details on Monday.’ It is a very serious decision to change our Constitution.’

Peter Dutton (left) has renewed calls for the Prime Minister (right) to provide more details on Indigenous Voice to Parliament

Mr Dutton said his main questions were how the advisory body would be composed, how it would function at the regional level and how it would address problems in the most remote areas.

He said he had met regularly with the prime minister to discuss how the nation could take Closing the Gap measures forward.

“I’m grateful for the meetings we’ve had and he knows I’m genuinely interested in furthering the cause of reconciliation,” Dutton said.

“It breaks my heart that by 2023 we can have indigenous youth sexually assaulted on a regular basis.

“But the prime minister has to explain how the voice will make things better for those children, it will make things better for indigenous peoples across the country.”

Indian Affairs Minister Linda Burney addressed the perceived lack of detail last week, calling the liberals’ argument “garbage”.

The prime minister issued a fiery response to Peter Dutton’s list of 15 questions about voice

The proposed referendum has generated more questions than answers since it was unveiled in a landmark announcement in August.

At the recent GQ Man of the Year Awards in Sydney, Mr. Albanese delivered a moving speech, calling on the nation to enact Voice of Parliament.

So in 2023, you will have a voice. You will have the same vote as me. Make sure it counts,” he addressed the crowd.

‘Make sure you do something you’re proud of and make a difference in this country. It’s a huge risk, and it’s a risk First Nations elders are willing to take, because they’re sick of waiting for recognition.

“And a Voice in Parliament is just that: it’s for them to be consulted on issues that affect them, but it also means that our nation’s birth certificate is really as it should be.”

Anthony Albanese (pictured with indigenous minister Linda Burney) called Peter Dutton’s demands a “cheap culture war trick”