Barnaby Joyce and Tanya Plibersek clashed during a fiery television interview on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament when he accused the Anthony Albanian government of a cover-up.
Tensions erupted between the Nationals MP and Labor frontbencher during their weekly appearance on Monday’s Sunrise, where the controversial proposal that has divided the country was the main topic of conversation.
Mr. Joyce rolled his eyes when Ms. Plibersek tried to explain how the voice would work while being grilled by Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr.
She said parliament would set the rules for how the vote is put together before Barr asked if it will happen before Australians vote in the referendum.
“Well no, because there’s no point in having legislation if the referendum is lost,” Ms Plibersek replied.
Mr Joyce, who previously warned that the proposal would ‘divide Australia by race’ and by DNA, threw his arms up in desperation.
“That’s so sneaky, so sneaky,” he said.
“Be honest, fair and show us the ledger.”
Ms Plibersek hit back to accuse Mr Joyce of being negative.
“You just want to say no to everything,” she said.
“You had 10 years in government to do the details on this.”
“There are enough details, you just want to say no.”
Tanya Plibersek (left) and Barnaby Joyce (right) clashed during a fiery segment on the proposed Indigenous vote in parliament
Mr Joyce fired back: ‘You are the government. You are skilled in writing legislation.
“Show us the legislation for the Australian people before you vote or else you’re sneaking.”
Barr then brought the fiery segment to an abrupt halt, adding that there were many more questions to be answered.
Ms Plibersek was previously targeted whether Indigenous Australians would be given direct control over matters such as the submarine contract.
She closed the criticism, insisting that the government could ignore The Voice if it so chooses.
“It’s about advice. So you don’t have to listen to the advice,” she said.
“Second, the third part of this is that parliament will set the rules around the Voice, how it’s made up, how big it is, how it’s elected, what it has to say about, parliament will set those rules.”
‘Parliament sets those rules. We will debate and vote on that in parliament.’
Sunrise presenter Natalie Barr (pictured) also lifted Tanya Plibersek over the proposed vote
Liberal Tasmanian Prime Minister Jeremy Rockcliff has broken ranks to support a yes vote, despite the coalition’s decision not to support the vote.
“Peter (Dutton) and myself and others are fighting this because we think it’s wrong,” Mr Joyce said.
He added that the advisory body could potentially impact the Reserve Bank, the Australian Defense Force and the ABC
Ms Plibersek quickly shut down Mr Joyce’s allegations.
“Does Barnaby really think an Indigenous voice in parliament will be concerned about meddling in defense policy when we have a life expectancy of 10 years?” she said
“Barnaby makes up all these terrifying scenarios because he just wants to say no.
“Barnaby and Peter Dutton have been looking for an excuse to say no from the very beginning. It’s not about what decisions want.’
“This is what First Nations Australians have been asking for and offering to listen to them about issues that affect their lives for decades.”
It comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hinted that some of the biggest names in Australian sport could be part of the team pushing for the Indigenous voice in parliament.
the prime minister is seeking support from other quarters to ensure that the ‘yes’ vote prevails later this year.
He told Sky News he has been in talks with footy stars to speak out publicly in support of the vote.
“I know from talking to a number of NRL and AFL players, both past and present, that they will be active in voicing their views in support of constitutional recognition,” Mr Albanese said.
“They have all been strong supporters of Indigenous recognition for a long period of time.
“Even before then, we will have Indigenous rounds in both sports, which will be a celebration of Indigenous Australians and their contribution to those sports.”
Athletics legend Cathy Freeman has long been a proponent of the Yes vote, while AFL great Adam Goodes worked behind the scenes to build support
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured last week) admits not having the opposition’s support makes winning the Voice referendum a harder task