Key points
- Greens leader Adam Bandt has confirmed his party will support a "yes" vote at the Voice to Parliament referendum.
- It comes after Senator Lidia Thorpe, who has been critical of the Voice proposal, quit the party.
- Senator Thorpe has regularly demanded a Treaty and Truth-telling process before a Voice referendum.
The "yes" campaign for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament has been bolstered by the official backing of the federal Greens.
The party's leader, Adam Bandt, made the announcement following an evening party room meeting on Monday after outspoken First Nations Senator Lidia Thorpe quit the party over the issue.
Senator Thorpe said she wanted to campaign from the crossbench for "black sovereignty" beyond the Voice proposal.
While critical of the Voice's proposition, saying , Senator Thorpe said she wouldn't yet announce her position on the referendum.
But Mr Bandt confirmed the party would be supporting a "yes" vote at the referendum to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
"We want the referendum to succeed, we want First Nations justice and we want Truth and Treaty as well as Voice," he said.
"A strong First Nations body would be a further step towards true self-determination and justice."
Mr Bandt said the party had secured commitments from the federal government that they would proceed with both Truth and Treaty as well as the Voice.
"I don't think a 'no' vote will get us closer to Treaty and Truth, but I respect that others in the First Nations community may have a different view on that."
The Voice dominated the first day of parliament, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese again urging Australians to support the body.
Mr Albanese used the first day of parliament for the year to urge support for an Indigenous voice.
He said the Voice to Parliament, which will be put to a referendum later this year, should be above politics.
‘Free to speak’
Senator Thorpe, a DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman, often appeared at loggerheads with her now former colleagues over the proposal, which Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has publicly supported.
She quit the party before it had formally announced its stance on the referendum, but stressed she was yet to settle on a final position of her own.
“This country has a strong grassroots black sovereign movement, full of staunch and committed warriors, and I want to represent that movement fully in this parliament. It has become clear to me that I can't do that from within the Greens,” Senator Thorpe told reporters at Parliament House.
“Now, I will be able to speak freely on all issues ... My focus now is to grow and amplify the black sovereign movement in this country, something we have never had since this place was established.”
Senator Thorpe said she wanted to campaign from the crossbench for "black sovereignty" beyond the voice proposal. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
Mr Albanese has committed to holding a referendum in the second half of 2023 on the issue of the Voice.
The National Party has said, while the Liberal Party.
Voters would be asked — yes or no — if they support having a representative Indigenous advisory body enshrined in the constitution.
The proposed body would have no veto power, but would compel the government to consider their advice on policies affecting First Nations Australians.
Senator Thorpe urged fellow members of the Indigenous sovereignty movement to “keep the fire burning”.
She thanked Greens leader Adam Bandt and Senator Mehreen Faruqi for being "strong allies".
'Enormously sad'
Following her announcement, Mr Bandt said Senator Thorpe departs with “an enormous amount of respect”.
The Greens leader claimed he told Senator Thorpe that she “still has a place” in the party, regardless of what position she came to on the Voice.
“[But] I made it clear to Senator Thorpe that … if she came to a different position on the question of Voice, I would take over responsibility for being the party spokesperson on the Voice so that she would be free to speak her mind,” he said.
“She's obviously decided to adopt a different course. I wish she had made a different decision, but I understand the reasons that she has given for that decision.”
Senator Thorpe had regularly criticised the Voice. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
“The situation remains more or less the same in the Senate. The Greens are central in the balance of power,” he said.
'At war'
Senator Thorpe will now sit on the crossbench, but confirmed she will continue to vote with the Greens on climate change issues.
She was re-elected in May, meaning she can remain in parliament until 2028 before facing the voters.
Senator Thorpe was part of a small group of delegates who walked out of the 2017 Uluru convention, the result of a two-year consultation process with First Nations communities across Australia.
She that Australia remained “at war” and demanded an immediate treaty.
“This is a war. They are still killing us. They are still killing our babies. What do we have to celebrate in our country?” she said.
Senator Thorpe also claimed last month the Voice could “destroy” Indigenous sovereignty, something she appeared to walk back days later.
With additional reporting by AAP.
