Key Points
- Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney warns No campaign is importing Trump-style political strategies.
- Greens senator Dorinda Cox stresses need for Indigenous Voice to tackle long-standing issues.
- Polls show public opinion is divided on enshrining an Indigenous Voice in the Constitution.
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney warns the Voice referendum No campaign is importing Trump-style politics.
As debate on the Indigenous Voice moved to the Senate, Ms Burney said misinformation was being used by opponents of the referendum.
"I fear that the No campaign is importing American-style Trump politics to Australia. At its heart is a post-truth approach to politics," she said at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia's State of the Nation conference.
"Its aim is to polarise people, and its weapon of choice is misinformation."
Ms Burney said the Indigenous Voice would provide real solutions to communities across the country.
"The Voice is about making a practical difference, and the Yes campaign is articulating a positive vision of Australia's future," she said.
"The No campaign is not doing either of those things."
Greens senator Dorinda Cox said while Indigenous representation in federal parliament was at record levels, numbers alone were not enough to fix long-standing issues.
"There are more of us sitting in parliament than ever before but we are still only 11 of 227 members of this parliament," she told the Senate on Tuesday.
"Our 11 voices are not enough to tackle the challenges that our people face, no matter how hard we work.
"This is why we need a Voice to parliament."
Parliament is debating the final form the Indigenous voice referendum will take, with a majority of senators expected to endorse the bill next week.
The referendum on enshrining an Indigenous Voice in the constitution is due to be held between October and December this year.
Coalition frontbencher Michaelia Cash said the proposed Indigenous Voice would divide the country.
"If the referendum that is proposed by this bill is successful, the nation that we know today will be irreparably damaged forever," she said.
"It is not an institution that has been road-tested and refined over the years.
"There is no similar body overseas to which it can be compared.
"It is completely novel."
A poll of 1,066 voters published by the Nine newspapers showed support for the constitutional change has dropped four points to 49 per cent, the first significant national poll to show the No side leading.
But its findings are contradicted by a Guardian Essential poll that found 60 per cent in favour, up one percentage point from the previous survey.
In a statement, Uluru Dialogue co-chairs Megan Davis and Pat Anderson said a successful referendum would unite the nation.
"We are finding that when we sit down with people and explain the difference that the voice will make - where so many other initiatives and ideas devised within the Canberra bubble have failed - they are more than ready to vote Yes," the joint statement said.
"A First Nations voice will make the difference between the completely unacceptable status quo and a brighter, more optimistic future."
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said constitutional recognition would be a unifying moment but rejected the idea of the Indigenous Voice.
"I don't think the public are ready for the Voice," he said. "I don't think it's been explained."
