Jacinta Price slams ABC for allowing Noel Pearson's 'Judas' comments on Dutton over Voice

Jacinta Price has criticised the ABC for allowing Indigenous activist and Voice to Parliament supporter Noel Pearson 16 minutes of uninterrupted airtime to attack Peter Dutton.

The Opposition Leader this week formally opposed the Voice in a move which Mr Pearson described as a ‘Judas’-style ‘betrayal of the country’ on radio on Thursday.

Now, Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has described the segment as divisive and an example of ‘partisan political point scoring’.

‘Anytime anyone like me or Peter Dutton asks a question or expresses some scepticism about what would be the biggest ever change to our constitution, the ABC goes straight to their contact list of Voice activists to trot out their divisive political talking points,’ Ms Price told the Daily Telegraph.

‘They let Voice activists label their opponents racist, call them names, and launch into partisan political point scoring – all while accusing the ‘no’ side of stoking division.’

The ABC hit back with a statement of their own, insisting interviewer Patricia Karvelas at multiple times during the interview referred back to Mr Dutton’s reasons for opposing the Voice.

‘Previous editions of RN Breakfast have featured interviews with senior Coalition MPs and other prominent figures including Julian Leeser, Paul Fletcher, Barnaby Joyce, Sussan Ley, Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe and business advisor and commentator Warren Mundine,’ an ABC spokesperson said.

‘It should also be noted Mr Dutton was interviewed just prior to Mr Pearson on the AM program.’

Mr Dutton revealed on Wednesday the Liberal Party would oppose Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s policy in its current form – a decision the PM described as a significant blow in the lead up to the referendum.

Ken Wyatt, the former minister for Indigenous Australians, quit the Liberal party in protest.

On the back of the announcement – which did not come as a surprise to many after weeks of Mr Dutton and senior Liberals questioning the mechanics of the Voice – Mr Pearson revealed he was struggling to sleep.

Indigenous activist and Voice to Parliament supporter Noel Pearson condemned Peter Dutton for his ‘Judas betrayal of the country’ in opposing the Voice

‘I couldn’t sleep, I was troubled by dreams and the Dutton Liberal party’s Judas betrayal of our country,’ he told RN Breakfast.

‘I have a great belief that the Liberal Party and Dutton are greatly out of step with the sentiment of the Australian people… this is more about [Dutton’s] calculations of Liberal v. Labor, rather than what’s good for the country.

‘He doesn’t mind chucking Indigenous Australians and the future of the country under the bus to preserve his miserable political hide… and it’s sad.’

Mr Albanese said he was disappointed but not surprised by the Liberals’ decision and took aim at Peter Dutton’s suggestion the party would support symbolic constitutional recognition for Indigenous people without the element of the Voice.

‘It appears some people don’t want a Voice; they’d rather have a whisper,’ Mr Albanese said, noting it is a blow not to have bipartisan support on the matter and it would make it more difficult for the referendum to succeed.

The Liberal party room voted on Wednesday to reject the government’s proposed model for the Voice in favour of establishing local and regional Voices which would be legislated but not embedded in the Constitution

Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson argued the Coalition had 11 years in power to enact a ‘proper proposal for recognition’

The Liberal Party room voted on Wednesday to reject the government’s proposed model for an indigenous body, known as the Voice, which would be formally recognised in the constitution and give advice on any proposed laws which affected Aboriginal and Torres Strait people.

The Liberals will now campaign against the Voice in the upcoming referendum and instead propose local and regional Voices which would be legislated but not embedded in the constitution.

But Mr Pearson argued the Coalition had 11 years in power to enact a ‘proper proposal for recognition’.

‘I see the leader of the Liberal Party Peter Dutton as an undertaker, preparing the grave to bury Uluru and I think that that is a very sad day for Australia that we can’t have bi-partisanship in this important national enterprise.’

Anthony Albanese says he knows Liberal frontbenchers who want to support a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to parliament

Mr Dutton said he thinks the Voice will divide Australia and will not support it in its current form

Mr Pearson said it was important that supporters of the Voice ‘meet hate with love, fear with understanding, face negativity with hope’ and, most importantly, ‘not contemplate failure’.

He refuses to believe this decision will be reflected in a referendum later this year and that the Voice to Parliament will be voted down.

‘It’s never going to happen… Peter Dutton’s decision will highly motivate people. It makes very clear what the decision is,’ he said.

Mr Albanese spoke further to the decision on Thursday morning, accusing Mr Dutton and his party of ‘taking the low road’.

‘This pretence of ”we are up for discussion” whereas everyone knows that from day one, Peter Dutton, the person who walked out on the apology to Stolen Generations… is now walking away from his responsibilities.

‘He is defined by what he is against, not what he is for. He has not learned or heard any of the messages that were given in May last year or in Aston on Saturday. He is determined to just be negative.’

Key moderates Andrew Bragg and Bridget Archer were quick to break ranks to signal their support for the Voice after their party room agreed to allow backbenchers a conscience vote on the matter.

Ms Archer almost immediately confirmed she would defy the party line and campaign for a ‘yes’ vote and said the Liberals’ verdict on the Voice was the latest in a series of decisions which had tested her faith in the party.

The outspoken Tasmanian backbencher, who has crossed the floor to vote with Labor in the past, told the ABC after the party room meeting that she thought the Voice was worth fighting for and there was a ‘moral imperative’ to back the proposal.

The Albanese government has maintained that amending the Constitution is the form of recognition Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders asked for in the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart

Since confirming the wording of the question that will be asked of all Australians in the referendum later this year, the Prime Minister has been inundated with questions from political opponents, the media and the general public about the scope of power the Voice will hold

Senator Bragg released a statement saying he maintained an open mind as a long-term supporter of the Voice ‘concept’, adding he was committed to achieving the ‘best’ possible constitutional amendment to both empower communities and protect ‘institutional framework’.

‘The process to date has been poor, but that is not a good enough reason to oppose the referendum in my opinion,’ Senator Bragg said.

Senator Bragg and Ms Archer will be allowed to support the referendum because neither of them sits on the Opposition frontbench.

But Liberals in the shadow cabinet will have to oppose the Voice, meaning any MPs who support the proposal will need to fall in line behind the Coalition’s position or resign from their frontbench positions.

Speaking after the Liberals’ party room meeting on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said he was aware of shadow ministers who would like to cross the floor to support the government’s proposal.

‘But it’s a matter for them,’ Mr Albanese told ABC Radio Sydney.

Later on Wednesday, Mr Albanese told ABC’s Hack radio program he had met with Mr Dutton ‘in good faith’ on seven occasions to discuss the Voice.

In publicly confirming his decision on Wednesday, Mr Dutton said: ‘I don’t think this is in our country’s best interests.

‘I have spent literally months, like many Australians, trying to understand what it is the Prime Minister is proposing. We cannot get the basic detail out of them. We think it is deliberate. We are waiting, waiting for advice.’

The Voice questions Anthony Albanese has ALREADY tackled

Here, Daily Mail Australia looks at some of the key questions about the Voice so far, and how the government has tackled them:

What kind of advice can the Voice provide the Parliament and Government?

The Voice will advise on matters that directly relate to Indigenous people.

It will respond to requests made by the government, while also having the power to engage proactively on matters that they believe impact them.

The group will have its own resources to research matters and engage with communities at a grassroots level to ensure it is best reflecting their needs.

How will members of the Voice be chosen?

Members of the Voice will be appointed by Indigenous communities and will serve on the committee for a fixed period of time, yet to be determined.

The way the communities choose their representatives will be agreed upon by the local communities in tandem with the government as part of a ‘post referendum process’ to ensure cultural legitimacy.

Who can become a member of the committee?

Members of the Voice must be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

They will be chosen from across each state and territory and have balanced gender representation nationally.

The government has also guaranteed that young people will be included in the committee to ensure representation across the broad scope of the community.

Will the Voice be transparent?

The government states the Voice will be subject to scrutiny and reporting requirements to ensure it is held accountable and remains transparent.

Voice members will be held to standards of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and will be sanctioned or removed from the committee if there are any findings of misconduct.

Will the Voice have veto power?

No.

Will the Voice work independently of other government bodies?

The committee must respect the work and role of existing organisations, the government says.

Will the Voice handle any funds?

The Voice will not directly manage any money or deliver any services to the community.

Its sole role will be in making representations about improving existing government programs and services, and advising on new ideas coming through the parties.