The Liberal MP Karen Andrews has stepped down as shadow home affairs minister, prompting a wider reshuffle that promotes two Indigenous first-term Coalition senators who are opposed to enshrining the voice in the constitution.
The Nationals senator Jacinta Price has been elevated to shadow minister for Indigenous Australians while the Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle will serve in the outer ministry.
Andrews announced on Tuesday that she will sit on the backbench before retiring at the next election, as the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, unveiled a reshuffle sparked by the departure of Julian Leeser to the backbench to campaign in favour of the Indigenous voice to parliament.
Her move is not related to the voice referendum; she confirmed in a statement she would “continue to support the party position” on the voice but later clarified at a doorstop that she will not actively campaign for a no vote.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, declared it a “proud day for the Nationals”, as Price will be the seventh National in the shadow cabinet – one more than the minimum guaranteed by the Coalition agreement.
Littleproud said the Nationals had “led the debate” on the voice, by arguing against “adding more bureaucracy”.
Dutton told reporters in Adelaide that Liddle would join the outer ministry as the shadow minister for child protection and prevention of family violence.
James Paterson will also enter the Coalition cabinet, becoming the shadow minister for home affairs in addition to his existing portfolios of cyber security and countering foreign interference.
Michaelia Cash, the shadow minister for employment and workplace relations, will gain the shadow attorney general portfolio.
Dutton defended elevating another National to cabinet, explaining he wanted his “best people on the paddock” and arguing it would be “silly” to overlook Price’s “obvious talent”.
Price, a prominent opponent of the voice in the constitution, told reporters she was “humbled and grateful that the leadership … has entrusted me to carry out this role on behalf of Indigenous Australians”.
She said some unnamed Indigenous leaders have said they “don’t have any idea what the prime minister’s proposal for the yes campaign is”.
“They don’t know what the voice is, they don’t feel like they will be represented by yet another model that they see as being run by those who have long held positions within the Aboriginal industry, if you like.”
Price said she was concerned that some in Indigenous communities might be “exploited for the purpose of this referendum” and criticised as “utterly ridiculous” the fact that South Australia’s voice allows citizens to self-identify as Aboriginal.
“The fact that a citizen of South Australia can write a statutory declaration and claim to be Indigenous is deeply concerning.”
Liddle, another opponent of the constitutionally entrenched voice, also criticised the South Australian model, arguing: “We don’t actually know how effectively this model will work.”
After the Coalition’s 2022 election defeat Andrews considered contesting the Liberal leadership but opted against the move as the party united behind Dutton.
On Tuesday Dutton rejected any suggestion that Andrews had been pushed out, giving a “100% no” when asked this in Adelaide.
He said Andrews had been a “a warrior for really important causes” and she had been a “first-rate contributor” in the portfolio of home affairs.
Andrews told reporters on the Gold Coast that she “won’t be out there wearing a shirt that says ‘vote no’” during the referendum debate.
She said she had concerns with Labor’s proposed wording and that she would explain these concerns, “but I want to do that in a very neutral way so that people are in a position that they can make their own mind up”.
In a statement, Andrews said: “Having made the decision to call time on my political career, I wanted to ensure the Coalition has maximum time to have a replacement in the crucial home affairs portfolio, and the best local candidate for McPherson in place.
“I am proud to have been the first female Queensland MP in a cabinet role, and I am even prouder of the strong work the Coalition did in government to safeguard Australia’s national security.”
