At least one Liberal Senator is urging his party to support an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, as a referendum on the issue edges closer.
While the Nationals have already announced they won’t back an Indigenous Voice, the Liberal party has not come out on either side of the debate, with party leader Peter Dutton calling for more details on the proposal.
Senator Andrew Bragg has announced he will publicly lobby Dutton to back the Indigenous voice, releasing a position paper giving “five reasons the voice is right” which rejects key concerns held by opponents.
Speaking to the ABC on Wednesday, Senator Bragg says misinformation is damaging the country’s best shot at reconciliation.
“This is not a “woke” agenda, it’s not identity politics and it isn’t a separatist agenda which denigrates Australians,” he said.
“This isn’t a Labor project. It’s an Australian project.”
He told ABC Radio on Wednesday such a bill would offer the best chance of bipartisanship.
“We want to have bipartisanship here. This referendum will not be successful unless a large group of coalition voters vote yes,” he said.
“These are technical points but we want to try and maximise opportunities for bipartisanship here.”
