Former prime minister Tony Abbott has offered a staunch criticism of a proposed constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament, just hours after getting into a spat with a parliamentary committee investigating the looming referendum.
The former Liberal leader — who said he supported constitutional recognition but not the Voice — appeared before a parliamentary committee in Canberra, after earlier in the day saying it was a "scandal" that he had been denied the chance to appear at a public hearing.
Mr Abbott made a written submission to the inquiry, which is examining the proposed referendum's wording, but was not listed to appear on Monday.
