- Exclusive
- Politics
- NSW
- State Parliament
‘An enhancement of liberal democracy’: NSW Liberal leader backs Voice
By Max Maddison
NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman says he will vote in favour of enshrining a Voice to parliament in the Constitution, saying the “disastrous outcomes” facing First Nations communities requires elevating the advisory body into the nation’s founding document.
Directly contradicting his federal leader Peter Dutton, the Cambridge-educated silk who served as the state’s attorney-general for six years said he did not see the constitutional amendment as racist, and it did not present a significant legal risk nor an impediment to “timely and flexible” decision-making.
NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman has urged Anthony Albanese to split the referendum question.Credit: James Brickwood
“My view is that this is an enhancement of liberal democracy. This doesn’t detract from liberal democracy. You’re not creating special rights for classes. Instead, you’re creating an advisory body to advise on behalf of the most disadvantaged section of society,” Speakman said.
The “enormity” of the disparity between outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians meant elevating the Voice into the Constitution offered a better chance of closing the gap, Speakman said.
“Some of the statistics are extraordinary: the most incarcerated group in the world; if you’re a young Aboriginal male, you’re more likely to end up in jail than go to university; if you’re an Indigenous woman in NSW, you are more than 30 times as likely to be in hospital because of domestic violence than a non-Indigenous woman,” he said.
“This is not just a matter of tweaking outcomes – these are disastrous outcomes. And that’s why it’s got to be elevated to the Constitution and not just left as a legislative body.”
Four months after being elected leader by the Liberal party room, Speakman said he consulted and considered the available information in deciding to support the referendum. However, he said he would not take an active part in the campaign.
He offered a countervailing view to arguments against the Voice by leading members of the No campaign, including Dutton, who claimed the advisory body would “re-racialise” Australia.
“I don’t see this amendment as racist because, at the end of the day, it is about an advisory body that has no constitutional entitlement to be consulted; it is not a third chamber; and has no veto rights on legislation or decisions.”
Speakman’s intervention comes as polling suggests the referendum is headed for defeat, with support for a constitutionally enshrined Voice to parliament languishing below 50 per cent both nationally and in NSW.
Federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton has claimed the Voice will “re-racialise” Australia. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
One of just three state or territory Liberal leaders to publicly state their support for the Voice, he urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to split the referendum into two separate questions: first, proposing constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians; and second, on the establishment of a Voice to parliament.
He said defeat or even a narrow victory would undermine reconciliation in Australia.
“In 1967 [the referendum] was a great step forward for reconciliation because it was an overwhelming majority, 90 per cent. This is not going to be that because it’s going to be a defeat, or it’s going to be such a narrow victory it’s going to leave people divided,” he said.
He also urged Albanese to trust people and allay “fears of the unknown” by releasing draft legislation underpinning the Voice.
“At the moment there’s a bit of a fear of the unknown in many parts of the general public, and that’s exacerbated when the federal government isn’t forthcoming with the detail of what it is proposing to legislate,” he said.
With the referendum looming, Speakman said as a senior counsel it would be a “dereliction of duty” not to articulate his view.
The Cronulla MP’s statement comes just days after West Australian Liberal leader Libby Mettam backflipped on comments saying she would support the Voice.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff and ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee are the only other Liberal leaders offering unqualified support for the Voice.
Northern Territory’s Country Liberal Party leader Lia Finocchiaro has indicated she supports the proposal in theory but has concerns about the lack of detail. Rank-and-file CLP delegates have since circled a no-confidence motion in leadership after overwhelmingly voting to reject the Voice in February.
The NSW Coalition walked away from supporting the Voice in May after the shadow cabinet agreed MPs would be able to campaign freely for either the yes or no vote.
At the time Speakman said, while he was “sympathetic in principle” to the concept of the Voice, he held concerns about the “proposed language” of the referendum.
But speaking to the Herald, Speakman said his concerns had been allayed by material provided to federal parliament, including the parliamentary committee report, the explanatory memorandum and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus’ second reading speech.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.