If this week was an indication of how the public discussion about an Indigenous voice to parliament is going to unfold when the campaign really kicks off in the new year, then we are in for a rough ride.
On Monday, the federal Nationals stepped out as a “unanimous” front to say they would not support the voice. The Nationals’ leader, David Littleproud, flanked by a handful of senior colleagues dismissed it as a concoction of the “elites”. The Nationals just want to close the gap, he said, and the voice will do nothing to fix the terrible deficits they are so concerned about. Altering the constitution will have unforeseen consequences for the nation, and they could not tolerate any division based on race or another layer of bureaucracy in Canberra.
