The prime minister has accused the ‘no’ campaign against an Indigenous voice to parliament of resorting to shameful tactics, after an Indigenous leader criticised its arguments.
Anthony Albanese denounced the ‘no’ campaign following reports its volunteers were being directed to use fear as a method to dissuade voters from supporting the constitutional change in the upcoming referendum.
“It is as cynical and as shameful as you’d expect,” he told parliament on Tuesday.
“(Former US presidential advisor) David Axelrod described democracy as an ongoing battle between cynicism and hope. It’s hard to imagine a more perfect demonstration than this referendum.”
The prime minister said he was not surprised the coalition had resorted to a fear campaign centred on division.
“The referendum isn’t about (Opposition Leader Peter Dutton), and it’s not about me. It’s about an idea that came from the people, and it will be decided by the people,” he said.
“Indigenous people … wanted constitutional recognition with substance, not just with symbolism, and that’s what the voice is about.”
His comments came after Marcia Langton rejected accusations from the ‘no’ campaign and its supporters – including federal Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley – that she had called no voters racist at a forum on the weekend.
“I’m saying the claims being made by the no case are based in racism and stupidity – and appeal to racism and stupidity,” Professor Langton told Nine newspapers on Wednesday.
“And they are appealing to Australians to frighten them into adopting highly racist and stupid beliefs.”
Prof Langton responded after the Bunbury Herald reported remarks she made at a forum in Western Australia on Sunday.
“Every time the ‘no’ cases raise their arguments, if you start pulling it apart, you get down to base racism – I’m sorry to say that’s where it lands – or sheer stupidity,” she told the forum.
“If you look at any reputable fact-checker, every one of them says the no case is substantially false, they are lying to you.”
Ms Ley told parliament on Tuesday Prof Langton had labelled “those advocating a no position as either ‘racist’ or ‘stupid'”.
“I challenge anyone to consider those remarks and not feel insulted by them,” she told Sky News on Wednesday, adding that the coalition wasn’t part of the official no campaign.
Ms Ley also repeated her call for Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney to remove Prof Langton from the government’s referendum working group for “denigrating” the no campaign.
“We need a respectful debate,” she added.
The referendum will be held on October 14.
Meanwhile, an easy-read version of the Uluru Statement from the Heart will be launched on Wednesday, allowing people living with a disability to read the document.
The version has been designed by the First Peoples Disability Network, along with Indigenous people and people with intellectual disabilities.
The Uluru Statement, which was signed in 2017 by Indigenous leaders from across the country, called for constitutional recognition for Indigenous people through a voice to parliament.
By Andrew Brown in Canberra
