Voice to Parliament debate dominates Question Time as final parliamentary sitting wraps up ahead of referendum

The final Question Time before the referendum has descended into a series of scathing attacks, with Anthony Albanese accusing the Opposition of using the Voice to Parliament to divide Australians.

Liberal Leader Peter Dutton directed the first question at the Prime Minister, suggesting he had mishandled the issues impacting Australians most by prioritising his pursuit of a “divisive Canberra-based Voice”.

“When will Prime Minister admit his incompetent in mishandling issues hurting Australians and dividing our country?” he asked. 

Mr Albanese fired back, claiming the character of the Liberal Party was to be “negative, angry, hostile” and “divide”. 

The final Question Time before the referendum has descended into a series of scathing attacks, with Anthony Albanese accusing the Opposition of using the Voice to Parliament to divide Australians. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“[The Opposition] never seeks to bring people together,” he said. 

The Prime Minister pointed to the Coalition’s opposition of Labor’s contentious housing bill – the Housing Future Fund – and the party’s decision to pursue the ‘No’ vote in the referendum. 

“What we have here… is an obsessive obsession with voting no to everything… including an obsession with being negative about the referendum that Australians will get to vote on October 14,” he said. 

Attention then turned towards Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney, who was asked to condemn controversial remarks from academic and Yes campaigner Marcia Langton.

Professor Langton has copped heat this week from both the Opposition and No supporters after footage emerged of her describing “hard No voters” of the Voice as “spewing racism”, although she maintains her comments were misconstrued.

Minister Burney instead urged for a “respectful” Voice debate without racism and to be guided “by love and by faith”.

“Everyone in this debate should act respectfully and with care for one another,” she said.

“The tone of the debate in this parliament matters. There must be a mutual respect here.

“I do not know how Australians will vote on October 14, none of us do, but what I know for certain is this – we are the greatest country in the world, and we can be even greater if we embrace recognition.”

But Treasurer Jim Chalmers side-stepped Ms Burney’s plea a short time later to launch an attack on Mr Dutton for “peddling misinformation” about the Voice. 

“This Voice… is not about the lies and the misinformation which we have seen peddled by parts of the No campaign,” he said. 

Liberal leader Peter Dutton directed the first question at the Prime Minister suggesting he had mishandled the issues impacting Australians most by prioritising his pursuit of a “divisive Canberra-based Voice”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“The Leader of the Opposition has not distanced himself from that misinformation, he has embraced it. In this campaign of misinformation and mistruths, the Opposition Leader is a chief propagandist.”

Mr Chalmers prompted a point of order before he continued that the Opposition was using the Voice “not as a chance for unity, but as an excuse to practice the usual nasty and negative angry and dishonest and divisive politics”.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus joined in on the pile-on and blasted Mr Dutton for his “grubby tactics”.

“The proposed constitutional amendments says the Voice will have the power to make representations on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. That is a fact,” he said.

“The Leader of the Opposition ignores this fact and asserts the Voice would influence every area of public administration and grind the whole of government to a halt.

The heated debate in Question Time unfolded shortly after Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price delivered her National Press Club speech. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“Australians want outcomes, not arguments. Australians want the truth, not grubby tactics.”

The heated debate in Question Time unfolded shortly after Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price delivered her National Press Club speech in which she argued the Voice would only cause further division in Australia. 

In an impassioned address, the shadow minister for Indigenous affairs on Thursday afternoon claimed the proposal would be a let-down for First Nations people if they voted in its favour and slammed it for being “built on lies”.

Ms Price also turned up the heat on Mr Albanese, who is already facing an uphill battle to get the Voice over the line based on recent polling.

“Firstly, I’m very grateful for my leaders and their leadership in backing me all the way to stand in opposition to the Voice that our Nationals party room came out early to say No to a divided country,” she replied, before taking a swipe at Mr Albanese’s position.

“And I would suggest that it’s Albanese’s leadership that’s on the line here going forward.”

SOURCE: SKYNEWS