‘The Voice’ Could Become An Excuse Not to Help Indigenous Australians, Says Clive Palmer

Clive Palmer speaks to the media in Canberra, Australia, on May 14, 2014. Stefan Postles/Getty Images

Australian mining magnate Clive Palmer has revealed he is open to being part of the “No” movement against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

The mining magnate, whose net worth was estimated to be over $13 billion (US$8.6 billion) in 2021, has said he will talk to Indigenous leaders and politicians before deciding whether he would participate in the campaign.

He told The Australian on Tuesday that a national Indigenous advisory body could effectively become a hindrance for hundreds of thousands of Indigenous Australian families who want to air their concerns directly to members of parliaments.

Palmer argued the proposal would put local Indigenous communities in an even more vulnerable position.

The billionaire warned that if The Voice is successful, authorities would have even more reasons to avoid directly solving problems concerning Indigenous Australians as they can push the issues to the Indigenous advisory body.

Palmers called The Voice another “stunt” to “further persecute Indigenous people” and entrench the rights differences between racial groups to prevent Indigenous people from holding the government to account.

He also said under the current Constitution, Indigenous Australian “individually” already have the right to appeal to politicians whatever issues they face, and they shouldn’t be forced to “go through another hurdle” to do so.

Yes Proponents Say The Voice Gives ‘Self-Determination’

Recently, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the official wording for the constitutional amendment for the voice. It will be stated as follow:

1. There shall be a body to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;
2. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
3. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.”

The Indigenous body will speak to all levels of the government, including the cabinet, ministers, public servants, as well as statutory officers and agencies from the Reserve Bank to Centrelink. These powers include the ability to challenge the High Court and any decisions made by the executive on which The Voice feels it was not properly listened to.

Referendum working group member Tony McAvoy said such power is proportionate because the proposal is about giving Indigenous people the right to “self-determination” in an “all-in-all colonial nation.”

“How do we provide room for the Aboriginal people, and they’re continuing political entities to participate in our democracy?” he argued during a debate on the Voice at the Centre for Independent Studies on April 4.

“The Voice is that proposal. It’s not a proposal for conflict. It’s a proposal for harmony, and it’s not divisive.”

“It’s about recognising status and trying to figure out a way forward.”

‘A Trojan Horse’

But Country Liberal Senator Jacinta Price argued that the proposed voice body is “not simply a means of recognition.” She said we’re living at a time when some Australians are feeling guilty for events of the past, and others are “more than happy to take advantage” of that.”

It is undeniable that Australians have “done a lot, spent a lot and given a lot in the name of correcting those wrongs,” Price said at the debate.

“But so long as there is something to be gained from victimhood, we will forever have victims. It’s my belief that in the name of recognition and an attempt to undo the wrongs of the past, some Australians are attempting to enshrine a dangerous, divisive and costly mistake into the Constitution.”

“ It is a Trojan horse and a transfer of power. The voice movement is a dangerous attempt to undermine democracy and the fundamental belief of equality between citizens.”

“What may have started as an act of goodwill, as a simple and modest gesture, has become a legal nightmare. That would give a chosen few the ability to bring government to a halt.”

“It draws a line between Indigenous Australians and everyone else, and labels one group as different as other as in perpetual need of special help perpetual victimhood.”

Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton revealed on April 5 that the party would join its coalition partners in opposing the addition of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament into the Constitution.

“We’ve been clear that we don’t support [Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s] ‘Canberra Voice.’ It’s divisive, and it’s not going to deliver the outcomes to people on the ground,” he said.

“Our proposal is a local and regional Voice so that we can listen to those women and listen to those elders on the ground and get a better outcome.”

Meanwhile, Senator Lidia Thorpe, who famously quit the Greens party over The Voice, has also opposed the proposal, warning Australians that no advisory body would deliver the practical outcomes that Indigenous communities needed.

“Here we are with yet another advisory body to make this government feel better about the ongoing colonisation of this country and the genocide being perpetrated against our people,” she said.

Rebecca Zhu contributed to this article.