I was aghast at the announcement by Peter Dutton and the LNP of its approach to the Voice referendum. Dutton and the LNP (principally Peter Dutton) have been playing politics, trying to goad Albanese into making a misstep.
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Dutton is playing a game that potentially could lead to the wipeout of the Liberal Party and the demise of Peter Dutton. In making their approach he has played the politics based approach and falsified and misrepresented the facts.
Labor had concluded what the LNP approach would be, before it was announced, and had an approach for the LNP position, the benefits of a strategy versus tactics, in their strategy.
Already we have seen the fallout of the LNP position: shadow AG and Indigenous Affairs spokesperson Julian Leeser resigning; Ken Wyatt, Indigenous Affairs Minister in the previous LNP government, resigning in protest from the LiberalParty; Simon Birmingham, a senior member of the LNP, defying Dutton and saying he will not campaign with a position...many people are predicting, there will be more LNP casualties.
Labor has outmanoeuvred the LNP.
Peter Corkish, Wollongong
LNP entrenched
Mr Dutton and the LNP had nine years in power and spent millions if not billions on failed solutions to the problems faced by indigenous Australians. Rather than repeating what has not worked, why not try something new like The Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Why are the LNP so entrenched with the idea of repeating their past failures? Why do we need Dutton's Canberra plan?
Doug Steley, Heyfield
Referendum risks failure
I fear the upcoming referendum risks failing because "the question" is actually two questions.
I reckon that the majority of Australians support the need for a statement in our Constitution that gives recognition to the fact that there were Indigenous people inhabiting the land we now call Australia prior to European settlement.
That's the first part of the double-barreled question. The second part is about the "enshrinement" of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Constitution. Those of us who do not support the "enshrinement" aspect have a conundrum because, to vote against this we must vote against something we dearly want, the aforementioned "recognition".
All the content of the proposed new chapter in the Constitution should be dealt with by time- and context-appropriate legislation after "recognition" is embedded in our Constitution so that it can be assured of being fit for purpose in changing times into the long-term future.
Lynne Johnstone, Horsley
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