An Indigenous voice to parliament will be able to provide advice directly to ministers, with the attorney-general suggesting there are no plans to change course.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has laid out proposed changes to the constitution to enshrine the voice, which includes the ability for the body to provide advice to both parliament and the executive government.
There have been suggestions the wording could be watered down and the executive advice provision removed in a bid to secure support from the opposition and allay concerns about possible legal challenges.
But Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus confirmed it’s still the government’s plan to include both.
“That’s the intention,” he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
“That the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice that was called for by the Uluru statement from the heart back in 2017 be able to speak to the parliament and to the executive.”
Although, Mr Dreyfus said there needed to be more discussion with constitutional lawyers about any potential legal ramifications that could arise by keeping the term.
“We’ll come to final wording when the bill is debated in both houses of the Australian parliament,” he said.
“People have been litigating questions about our constitution since federation. Possible constitutional litigation, I don’t think should deter anyone.”
The bill outlining the wording will be put before parliament in late March and the process will be finalised around June once parliamentary committees have been given time to report back.
The opposition has continually called for more detail before lending its support to the yes campaign but the prime minister says the referendum will be about the principle of enshrining the voice in the constitution, with the details of the body to be decided upon by parliament.
The government has flagged the referendum will be held between October and December.
– AAP
