Peter Dutton Takes Back Offer of Second Referendum After Voice Fail

Australian Opposition Leader Peter Dutton speaks to the media during a press conference at Brisbane Airport in Brisbane, Australia on Aug. 30, 2023. AAP Image/Darren England

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has returned his offer to hold a second referendum if elected, saying Australians were clearly “over” the process.

During the referendum campaign, Mr. Dutton said a second referendum was “right” and “respectful” towards “acknowledging history,” adding, “I think it’s the right thing to do for Indigenous Australians.”

However, when asked if he would still hold a second referendum after it failed on Oct. 14, he told reporters that, “I think it’s clear that the Australian public is probably over the referendum process for some time. I don’t think Australians want to rush back to the polls.”

Meanwhile, Liberal Senator Kerrynne Liddle and Indigenous Australians Shadow Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price would review the policy.

“It remains our policy, but as I’ve said and as [former prime ministers] John Howard, Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison, and Malcolm Turnbull have all said, you can’t go to a referendum unless you think you’re going to win it,” Mr. Dutton told Seven’s Sunrise.

He added that the government should not have held a The Voice referendum without bipartisan and Indigenous leader’s support.

All states declared “No” to The Voice, and the national vote also came back with a majority “No” result.

Mr. Dutton said the “No” vote was “best for our country” because a “Yes” vote would have “worsened” it.

“My responsibility is to stand up and speak on behalf of millions of Australians. I’ve done that, and my position to vote ‘no’ is in accord with 60 per cent of the population,” he said.

While blaming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the percentage difference dividing the nation, he said the question put to the Australian people should have been about recognition, not The Voice.

“[Mr. Albanese] spent $400 million of taxpayers money. He was warned not to go down this path of division and bears the responsibility for where our country is today,” Mr. Dutton said.

The Coalition would instead ensure Indigenous Australians receive “money in the communities most in need, and that’s really what we’re concentrating on.”

PM Fires Back at Dutton

Mr. Albanese criticised Mr. Dutton over his backflip to hold a second referendum during question time in Parliament on Oct. 17.

“It’s not clear to me what his position is,” Mr Albanese said.

“It changes all the time; it varied between yesterday and today—in fact, it switched between [breakfast programs] Sunrise and Today.”

“More flip-flop than a thong factory, this bloke.”

He added the referendum should not have been a party politics matter, saying, “That’s a matter for Mr. Dutton.”

Further, when asked if he got the referendum timing wrong, Mr. Albanese said, “We held the timing appropriately, and it makes sense not to do it in the lead-up to an election to avoid party politics.”

He said the government must move “forward” after acknowledging the referendum outcome was a “democratic process.”

In the wake of the referendum defeat, the federal cabinet is meeting to discuss the government’s next steps to address Indigenous disadvantage.

Mr. Albanese said more work would be discussed “because not every issue, in terms of closing the gap, was determined on Saturday,” he said.

“My government will continue to do this across health, education, and housing. I noticed the Northern Territory government announced that 100 homes have been built in remote communities in 100 days; that’s part of an initiative we’re partnering on.”

“Our Government will continue to listen to people and communities. Our Government will continue to seek better outcomes for Indigenous Australians, their children, and future generations. This is not only in the interests of Indigenous Australians. It is in the interest of all Australians to build a better future for our nation.”

Playing Politics, Deputy PM says

When asked about Mr. Dutton walking away from his second referendum promise, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said, “Peter Dutton has been all over the place in terms of his positions on this from the beginning.”

“It’s been impossible to have any consistent line drawn through Peter Dutton’s behaviour other than playing politics to the maximum possible extent since he started leading the Liberal party,” Mr. Marles said.

“He has no solutions or positive plans to close the gap, and his positions are jumping everywhere. Who knows what he'll stand for a week from now.”

However, he said Labor, on the other hand, stands for “closing the gap and ensuring that we do something about the fact that a group of Australians, our fellow citizens, by their birth, leading shorter and less healthy lives is fundamentally unfair.”

The gap indicates Indigenous males born in 2015–2017 could expect to live 71.6 years and Indigenous females to 75.6 years, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Meanwhile, in 2020, the leading causes of death among Indigenous Australians were coronary heart disease, diabetes, chronic lower respiratory diseases, cancers of the lung, bronchus, and trachea, and intentional self-harm.

Mr. Marles said, “We will do everything we can to address that, but we need to let the dust settle coming out of the weekend.”