PM narrows timeline on Indigenous Voice referendum

Maeve Bannister and Tess Ikonomou
Feb 21, 2023, updated Feb 21, 2023

Peter Dutton's noticeable absence is not a good sign for the NSW government, says Anthony Albanese. Photo: AAP

An Indigenous voice to parliament and crime wave gripping remote communities will be in focus as Anthony Albanese takes his cabinet to Western Australia.

The prime minister and his senior ministers will meet in Port Hedland on Tuesday, with WA Premier Mark McGowan to give an address.

Afterwards, Mr Albanese and his cabinet will hold a meeting with about 150 Indigenous and other community leaders, amid criticism from the coalition over Labor’s decision to scrap the cashless debit card.

The card, which was abolished in September last year, managed welfare payments for recipients i

A referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament will be held between October and December, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.

The prime minister is visiting Western Australia this week with his cabinet as the “yes” campaign for the voice kicked off a week of action to start drumming up support.

Mr Albanese told a local radio station the referendum would be held “sometime between late September and December”.

But he confirmed it would not be on AFL grand final day, which is the last Saturday in September.

October has a lot of resonance, being the month that Uluru was returned to traditional owners in 1985 and that the Racial Discrimination Act took effect in 1975.

Speaking from Port Hedland before his cabinet meeting, Mr Albanese defended the voice’s ability to improve the lives of Indigenous people.

“We know that when you consult any group of people about matters that affect them, you will get better outcomes,” he said.

“That is what the voice is.”

In a separate interview, the prime minister told ABC Radio he was very hopeful the referendum would result in a “yes” vote for Indigenous recognition in the constitution.

“I’m really heartened by the week of action starting this week, there’s activity right around the regions, right around the nation,” he said.

“It will be important to give respect to Aboriginal Australians but also for us to acknowledge the great privilege we have of sharing this continent with them.”

The prime minister said a successful referendum would change the way Australia was perceived globally and show the nation was mature and had “come to terms” with its history.

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney is expected to introduce legislation required for the vote to parliament in March.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who is also in WA, said the coalition had been “constructively engaging” in discussions on the voice.

But he said the prime minister needed to be clearer about how it would work in practical terms.

“I think in their hearts Australians have a desire to see better outcomes for Indigenous people,” he said.

“But … how would (the voice) improve the outcomes to the lives of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in regional and remote areas?”

– AAP