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Opposition leader Peter Dutton has renewed his call for the Voice to parliament referendum to be called off, despite the fact that his party have voted to introduce the referendum in both levels of Parliament.
This week, the leader of the embattled Liberals has claimed that the proposed advisory body could grind government to a halt, and might make it even harder for his close friends in the mining industry to destroy sacred Aboriginal sites.
Speaking with 2GB Radio, Dutton said the “unintended consequences” could be significant and claimed its reach could extend to tax policy, the budget or even the chief of the defence force.
“They’re setting up a situation here where the Voice will be able to have an influence into every area of public administration,” the Opposition Leader said.
“Like, it might influence policy makers on ways to keep Aboriginal kids out of jail, where they are ten times more likely to die in custody than any other inmate”
“Do we really want that big of a shake up? What’s next? We have to taper our rural health departments to stop Aboriginal people dying thirty years earlier than everyone else?”
“Worst case scenario is, the Indigenous Voice might advise on what our friends in the mining industry can and can’t do? We have a perfectly good system as it is. When it comes to sacred Indigenous sites, let the mining corporations ask for forgiveness not permission”
This is in reference to the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters that were were destroyed for an iron ore mine in Western Australia in 2020, in what even rednecks have described as a despicable example of environmental vandalism by a greedy foreign corporation.
Widely recognised as one of Australia’s most significant archaeological research sites – evidence had shown continuous human habitation dating back 46,000 years. From artefacts to artwork, the caves were a testament to the rich cultural history of the oldest ongoing civilizations in the world.
A public and investor backlash led to the resignation of Rio Tinto’s then-chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques and two deputies, who were handsomely remunerated for taking the wrap with tens of millions of dollars in golden parachute payments.
“They’ve learnt their lesson” said Dutton.
“We don’t need the blackfellows throwing their 2 cents in”
