Australia opposition says opposed to Indigenous body in parliament

Gwenda Stanley, an Indigenous Australian of Gomeroi descent, boils water for tea at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, a site of protest since 1972, in Canberra, Australia, May 4, 2022. Picture taken May 4, 2022. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Australia's main opposition Liberal party said on Wednesday it would oppose setting up a consultative body in parliament that could advise lawmakers on matters affecting the country's Indigenous people.

The move comes after the centre-left Labor government moved a bill last week to hold a national referendum, the first step towards enshrining an independent advisory body for Indigenous people in the constitution by setting up an Indigenous "Voice to Parliament".