The single image that the Yes campaign now wants Peter Dutton to remove
Vote ‘Yes’ campaign manager Marcia Langton wants the federal opposition leader to remove an image from one of his social media accounts that says she has branded ‘No’ voters racist and stupid.
The image of Professor Langton standing next to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese features the words ‘No Voters Branded ‘Racist, Stupid’ By Prominent Voice Campaigner Marcia Langton’ below the Australian newspaper’s logo.
“I will have to get a lawyer to write to Peter Dutton asking him to remove this post from his Instagram because it is absolutely untrue,” Prof Langton told ABC radio on Wednesday.
Indigenous activist and Voice campaign manager Marcia Langton (pictured) will contact lawyers via a social media post uploaded by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton
The furor began on Tuesday after the Bunbury Herald reported comments it made at a forum in Western Australia on Sunday about the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous voice in parliament.
“Every time the ‘no’ cases make their case, if you start to pick it apart, you end up with either basic racism – I’m sorry to say that’s where it ends up – or sheer stupidity,” she said. Prof. Langton on the forum.
“If you look at any reputable fact-checker, every single one of them says the ‘no case’ is substantially false, they’re lying to you.”
This led to an uproar within the federal coalition, including federal deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley.
Ms Ley told parliament on Tuesday that Prof Langton had ‘labeled those who advocate a ‘no’ position ‘racist’ or ‘stupid’.
“I challenge anyone to consider these comments and not be offended by them,” she told Sky News on Wednesday, adding that the coalition was not part of the official No campaign.
Ms Ley also reiterated her call for Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney to remove Prof Langton from the government’s referendum working group because he “denigrated” the ‘no’ campaign.
“We need a respectful debate,” she added.
Prof. Langton rejected the accusations made by the ‘No’ campaign and its supporters, noting that her comments were taken out of context and referred to ‘No’ campaign tactics.
‘I deny it. It is absolutely not true,” she told ABC.
“There is a recording of what I said at the Bunbury meeting and what I said is very clear: I explained how the ‘no’ campaign is using fear and lies to scare voters into voting no.”
Prof. Langton said it was racist to say that if someone voted yes, Aboriginal people would be compensated.
The post features an image of Professor Langton standing next to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with the words ‘No Voters Labeled Racist, Stupid’ by Prominent Voice Campaigner Marcia Langton’
“No one, not Aboriginal people, not anyone, gets compensation unless they are legally entitled to it,” she said.
‘The no case implies that if you vote ‘yes’, even though Aboriginal people are legally entitled to compensation, they will receive that compensation… So it is the ‘no’ campaign that promotes division on the basis of race. ‘
The image posted to Dutton’s Instagram account on Tuesday included comments attributed to the leader.
“Australians are genuinely concerned about the unknown consequences of Labor’s risky Voice proposal, which is the biggest constitutional change in our history,” the post said.
“The Prime Minister should condemn these comments from leading advocate Marcia Langton.”
On Tuesday, Albanese accused the ‘no’ campaign of using shaming tactics, after reports instructing volunteers to use fear to dissuade voters from supporting the proposed constitutional change.
“It is as cynical and shameful as you would expect,” he told parliament on Tuesday.
The referendum will take place on October 14.
Mr Dutton asked Anthony Albanese to condemn ‘these comments from leading advocate Marcia Langton’ in his post