Anthony Albanese and Daniel Andrews have used the first Victorian Labor state conference in almost four years to urge party faithful to campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament.
The duo’s intervention comes as support for the referendum has fallen in some opinion polls, with those inside government and pro-voice supporters questioning the strength of the yes campaign.
In a return to the theme of his election victory speech just six months ago, Andrews said “hope always defeats hate”, with Victorians not interested “marinating in the confected outrage of imported culture wars”.
He said current programs designed to close the gap were “not working”, and that better outcomes would be achieved through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led decision-making and self-determination.
“Huge sums of money are spent on programs that aren’t about listening to First Nations communities,” Andrews said.
“They already know what’s best for their families, for their communities, for their culture. They just need governments to hear them, not tell them how it’s going to be.”
He took aim at the Liberal party for seeking to portray the referendum as “act of division”.
“Unity comes not from ignoring difference, but from embracing it. Strength lies in not being afraid to face uncomfortable truths, and it’s only by accepting our nation in all of its flaws that we can have any hope of bettering it.”
Andrews made a call to action to Labor’s rank and file and affiliated unions to do “what they do best” and put their campaign skills “behind this most important of campaigns.
“Knock on doors, hit the phones, rally your workmates, have those conversations with your neighbour, your uncle, your nonna, your mates down at the footy club,” he said.
“Whether your family has been here for five years, or 50,000 – this is a juncture in our history that calls on us to stand together.”
In his speech, the prime minister said he was “optimistic” the vote would succeed, citing the support of all premiers and chief ministers, the trade union movement, religious groups, big business and major sporting codes.
“We can say yes to recognising and celebrating the full 65,000 years of our history. We can say yes to practical change that will help close the gap and improve lives,” Albanese said.
“We can vote yes for a stronger, fairer, more reconciled and more united Australia.”
Among the first “urgency resolutions” – or motions – to pass at Saturday’s conference was put forward by upper house MP Sheena Watt, the party’s first Indigenous woman in state parliament, in support of the voice.
She described the referendum as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” that cannot be wasted.
“As a proud Aboriginal woman, I know just how important it is that we do not let this opportunity slip through our fingers. This referendum is a chance for all of us to come together in the spirit of healing and reconciliation to right the wrongs of the past,” Watt said.
Victoria’s minister for treaty and First Peoples, Gabrielle Williams, expressed concern over the impact an increasingly toxic public debate, saying it has “put an enormous strain on our First Nations community in particular”.
“The clear objective of that noise is to drive failure and so we should be wary of it.”
Williams said the state was the first to enact the truth, treaty and voice aspects of the 2017 Uluru statement from the heart, including via the First Peoples’ Assembly, a body elected by Indigenous Victorians to help develop a treaty framework.
“It hasn’t divided us, it hasn’t damaged the fabric of our society. It has made us innovate. It has given us clarity of focus and it has started an important process of healing.”
Both Albanese and Andrews also used their speeches to fire shots at the Liberals, which have been rocked at a federal level by allegations against Liberal senator, David Van of inappropriate touching. Senator Van has denied the allegations and said he would cooperate with any investigation process.
Andrews spruiked his government’s recent investment in women’s health as well as the female majority in his cabinet.
“Much is said about our opponents’ ‘women problem’ – that they have a problem with women. Well, women seem to have a problem with them,” he said.
“They haven’t yet figured out that having different voices at the table isn’t just fair, it’s smarter, too. They haven’t realised that being dragged kicking and screaming to address gender inequality in their own ranks isn’t just a bad look, it’s a bad approach. It’s bad for outcomes.”
The state conference, held at Moonee Valley racecourse, is the first since 2019 and provides members and unions with an opportunity to shape policy, though motions are non-binding on MPs.
The party was run by administrators for three years after a branch-stacking scandal, with new rules introduced to prevent the practice from happening again. An attempt on Saturday by the faction linked to Bill Shorten and the Australian Workers’ Union to overturn some of the new rules failed.
Delegates successfully passed a motion to immediately raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14, as well as several proposals addressing the state’s housing affordability crisis.
