Voice clears major hurdle

Australians moved a step closer to voting in the country’s first referendum since 1999 on Wednesday, after the lower house firmed up the question the government will pose on a Voice to parliament.

The Constitution Alteration Bill, which legislates the holding of a referendum and the question Australians will be asked, went to a vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday morning, after 118 MPs used the past week to speak for or against the Voice.

While Peter Dutton described the Voice as an Orwellian tool that would “reracialise” and divide the country, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was “powerful, uplifting symbolism in recognising the first peoples of Australia”.

There were 121 MPs who voted in favour of a Bill, while 25 voted against it.

The Liberals, who support the holding of a referendum despite their views on the outcome, designated “authorised dissenters” in order to feature on the official “no” pamphlet.

Ten Liberal backbenchers, including Ian Goodenough and Tony Pasin, joined the Nationals in voting against the Bill.

Earlier, Nationals leader David Littleproud said his party believed Australia needed “a better bureaucracy, not a bigger one”.

“If it was just about constitutional recognition … the Nationals would support it,” he said. “If this was a statement of fact about Indigenous Australians being here first, (our approach would be) we’ve made many mistakes, but we’re better having been together and better sticking together. If that was the proposal … I think you’d find it would be a unifying moment for our nation.”

“Unfortunately, I think it’s got a lot more difficult because the Prime Minister has complicated it, and he hasn’t brought details forward.”

The Bill now moves on to the senate, where Lidia Thorpe and crossbenchers will seek to make amendments. It will probably pass the senate in late July or early August, ahead of the referendum being held between October and December.