KEY POINTS
- Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says the Yes camp using You're the Voice is paternalistic.
- Price says the campaign is targeted at "middle-class, non-Indigenous" Australians.
- Price did not confirm whether Peter Dutton consulted her before backing a second referendum.
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has quoted an iconic John Farnham song, now being used in Yes campaign advertising, to cast doubt on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, telling Australians: "The voice, try and understand it."
But the Opposition's Indigenous Australians spokesperson has not confirmed whether leader Peter Dutton consulted her before , purely on Indigenous recognition, if Australians reject the Voice to Parliament in October.
British-born Farnham - You're the Voice - to the Yes camp during the six-week campaign, and it has already been used in advertising which began on Sunday.
The Voice to Parliament would be a body advising government on issues particularly impacting Indigenous people, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says major details on how it would operate would be decided in consultation after any Yes vote.
Speaking to SBS News on Monday, Price - a Warlpiri/Celtic woman - quoted the song to criticise Labor for failing to provide adequate insight into how the Voice to Parliament would operate.
"At the minute, certainly my focus is ... the fact that there's very little detail about this concept, that certainly the Prime Minister has not provided for the Australian people, and there's no understanding around it," she said.
"You're the voice, try and understand it."
Price described the song's use as "a little bit paternalistic", predicting it would "probably mean very little" to most Australians or Indigenous people in remote communities.
"It was very much aimed at middle-class, non-Indigenous Australia, which is where I guess the Yes campaign are hoping that they can take advantage [of] the goodwill from those individuals," she said.
"Certainly [it's] about making middle-class, non-Indigenous Australia feel good about thinking they're supporting something that's right.
"But otherwise, I don't know how much Mr Farnham has had to do with many remote regional communities or Indigenous people ... [or how much he] understands the sorts of issues that they are confronted with."
Dutton promises second referendum if Voice fails
The Coalition has publicly backed recognising Indigenous Australians in the Constitution but opposes the Voice to Parliament, which was the form of recognition called for in the 2017 .
Dutton told Sky News this weekend that he would hold a second referendum solely on Indigenous recognition, if the Voice to Parliament fails and he is subsequently elected.
Labor frontbencher Tony Burke said Dutton ignoring the preferred model that emerged from the Uluru dialogues would backfire.
Peter Dutton says he'd hold a second referendum, purely on Indigenous recognition, if the Voice to Parliament fails. Source: AAP / Darren England
"There's a generosity in the Australian people. And as people come closer to the date, focus their minds, look at the proposal, we see something where there's nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Price would not reveal whether Dutton consulted her before announcing his stance, only saying: "We've had conversations".
"The Coalition's always supported constitutional recognition, and I've always supported that concept also," she said.
The Coalition has also appeared divided over the prospect of regional and rural voices, which Dutton has previously said should be legislated.
But Nationals leader David Littleproud has raised concerns over the prospect, and said discussions were needed before his party settled on a position.
Price, a Nationals senator, would only confirmed conversations were taking place within the Coalition.
"There are conversations around bodies. I wouldn't, I guess, call it a Voice ... But at the minute, certainly my focus is getting across this bridge, which is the referendum," she said.
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