It will be co-chaired by Burney and Labor senator Pat Dodson and will comprise prominent Indigenous Australians,including Noel Pearson,Pat Turner and Uluru Dialogue co-chairs Pat Anderson and UNSW Professor Megan Davis. Marcia Langton and Tom Calma,who produced a report for the Morrison government on models for the Voice,will also be members.
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In her speech in Canberra on Thursday night,Burney will say “everyone has a part to play” in building broad consensus for the Voice,from sport clubs,schools and community groups to the business sector.
“Let’s be clear:government cannot lead this referendum. This will come from the grassroots,from communities because the Voice is a nation-building project,” she is expected to say.
“We will need a united Yes campaign that captures the attention and the imagination of the Australian people.”
A second “referendum engagement group” will also be established at a later date,comprising representatives from land councils,local governments and community organisations,to advise on how best to build support for the Voice and engage with Indigenous communities.
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The government faces a significant challenge in convincing the Coalition to back the referendum,amid growing concerns among conservative MPs about the legal consequences of enshrining the body in the Constitution.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told the mining industry on Wednesday the Voice could wield a veto power over their engagements with Indigenous communities and damage their business.
“We have no idea what it means for the mining sector,” he said in an address to the Minerals Council of Australia.
“We don’t know whether a Voice that doesn’t represent the elders that you negotiate with or that your agreement is with in a particular location ... they might be usurped and[the Voice will] exercise a veto right. That would damage your employees,that would damage your business.”
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Wyatt rejected Dutton’s remarks as “fear-mongering”,saying the Voice would not displace native title laws that would continue to require mining companies to negotiate with traditional owners.
“I’ve yet to come across an Aboriginal person or a Torres Strait Islander person who wants to usurp traditional owners. It’s disappointing that that’s been raised as an issue,” he said.
He also urgedAboriginal leaders who were critical of the Voice to consider the impact of an unsuccessful vote.
“If we retain the status quo,are we going to be having the same debates about closing the gap areas,as we’ve had for the last 20 years? It’s time that we stood aside from our own personal vested interests and looked at what are the opportunities we can create by having a Voice,” he said.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news,views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weeklyInside Politics newsletter here.