The proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament risks dividing Australians on the basis of race and undermines the democratic principle of equality, Federal Member for Mallee Anne Webster says.

Since the 2022 election the Federal Labor Government has pledged to implement the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.

The Statement outlined three key objectives: a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament, Treaty and Truth.

“Our free, liberal democratic society is fundamentally underpinned by the principle that every citizen is considered equal under the law,” Dr Webster said.

“A constitutionally enshrined advisory body to Parliament based solely on race goes against these values, and the values we share as a National Party. “

Dr Webster did not believe the Voice would advance its primary aim of Closing the Gap, or deal with real issues faced by Indigenous communities.

She also questioned whose voice would truly be represented and whether it would shift policy away from a grassroots model of Traditional Owners, First Language speakers and Land Custodian representation.

“Recent Senate Estimates have revealed the Labor First Nations Political Party Caucus are fully assuming the role of controlling whose voice counts,” Dr Webster said.

“This risks taking representation away from the bush and back to the city where this advisory body would likely be based and is not a progressive next step in the process of Reconciliation.

“This raises significant issues around the assumption of homogeneity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders – does a Cadigal man from Sydney speak for a Barkindji man from Mildura for example?

Further, to assume that poverty is the condition of all Indigenous people, is clearly flawed.  There are many Indigenous residents in Australia, who are doing very well.”

Dr Webster said in Mallee programs such as Clontarf had seen a significant rise in Indigenous boys completing year 12 in Mildura.

“This a wonderful outcome and breaks the cycle of poverty,” she said.

Dr Webster said the Voice degrades the representation of the 11 Indigenous representatives who have been elected to the House and the Senate now.

“We ought to be celebrating the incredible achievement of proportionate ‘over representation’ of Indigenous people for the first time in any parliament,’ Dr Webster said.

“People like my colleague, Senator Jacinta Price, who has life experience from years in the Northern Territory about real issues and not the bureaucracy.

“The Indigenous leaders I spoke to were concerned that the Voice would do nothing to deliver better outcomes for those who live with poverty and disadvantage.  In fact, there was considerable concern that transgenerational poverty knows no race barrier and ought to be the focus of investment.”

With Labor committing to a referendum on The Voice between July 2023 and July 2024, Dr Webster called for the government to provide more detail to the Australian people rather than another layer of bureaucratic red tape.

“It is essential Australians are able to take a sensible and considered approach to what is being proposed by examining the available detail, but this is severely lacking and it seems Labor is simply making policy on the run,” she said.

“Crucial questions remain unanswered – when will the Australian public get more information about the proposed shape and powers of the body? Why won’t the Federal Government focus on local and regional voice bodies and traditional owners?

“Given the Constitution is interpreted by the High Court of Australia, does this risk that court being embroiled in inflamed political debate?”

Dr Webster said without those details the Federal Government could not expect the Australian public to make a fully informed decision in the upcoming referendum.

In talking with Indigenous leaders in Mallee, there is concern about the lack of transparency, and questions about whether the selected representative will be someone representing them.

“This referendum could potentially undo generations of work to unite this country’s citizens under the common principle that we are all Australian and we are all equal in the eyes of the law,” Dr Webster said.

“This Government needs to be open and clear with its people before forcing a vote that undermines that principle.”