The Greens’ First Nations spokesperson, Lidia Thorpe, says she will not back a “no” campaign against an Indigenous voice to parliament, despite previously criticising the government’s proposal as a “wasted exercise”.
On Tuesday, a report in the Australian newspaper suggested Thorpe had spoken with Indigenous businessman Warren Mundine about their joint opposition to a referendum on the voice. The federal government is committed to holding a plebiscite in this term of parliament.
Thorpe said the news report was “false and misleading” and stated “we did not discuss support for a ‘no’ campaign on voice and I will not be campaigning ‘no’”.
The co-chair of the Indigenous voice co-design process, Prof Tom Calma, on Tuesday called on the Greens to clarify their position on the voice. Calma argued there was broad support among the party’s membership for the voice.
If established, it would make representations to parliament and the executive on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Thorpe on Tuesday said the three elements of the Uluru statement were equally important and “we can do all three at the same time”.
“I want to ensure that truth and treaty are taken as seriously as voice,” the senator said. “This is what I am focused on. I have no time for negative campaigning that will only hurt those it affects the most – First Nations people. I don’t want to see my people hurt more.”
The Greens’ formal position is to ensure all elements of the Uluru statement including truth, treaty and voice are delivered, as well as action to implement the recommendations of the Aboriginal deaths in custody royal commission and the Stolen Generations Bringing them Home Report.
Thorpe has previously been critical of the government’s proposed model for the voice, saying her focus was on a treaty and truth-telling. She has called the referendum “a waste of money” and “a wasted exercise”.
There was disquiet within the Greens party about the perception some of its members of parliament were not supporting the voice proposal. Calma said the party needed to clarify its position.
“We need clarity from the Greens as to whether it’s a Greens position or Lidia’s, but to be frank, it really only matters to their members I suspect,” Calma told Guardian Australia.
“There are many Greens out there who are very supportive of the voice and the advancement of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people. It’s an issue that the Greens have to look at and their membership needs to do something about it if they don’t agree with it otherwise, they are all tarred with the brush of agreeing with what Lidia is prosecuting.”
Calma echoed the concern expressed by Indigenous academic Prof Marcia Langton about the Greens’ separate demand for Australia to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the recommendations of the deaths in custody royal commission.
Calma said Australia had announced support for the UNDRIP in 2009 and most of the unfulfilled recommendations of the royal commission were up to state and territory governments.
He said the additional demands, along with the emphasis on treaty and truth-telling, were adding to general confusion about the voice referendum.
“This is important for the population to understand because I think there’s still a bit of confusion out there about what is going to a referendum,” Calma said.
“The government talks about supporting and fully implementing the Uluru statement from the heart – that includes the three elements, voice, treaty, truth and that’s fine – but when we come to a referendum, it’s only about one element, and that’s the voice.”
News Corp Australia, which publishes the Australian, was contacted for comment.
