CANBERRA (London Post with AAP) By Dr. Majid Khan -Anthony Albanese urges party members to minimize panic campaign ahead of referendum to bring Indigenous voices to parliament.
The prime minister used history lessons to explain his argument and warned the party hall of the challenges ahead.
Albanese said no successful referendum had been held in 50 years and that only 20 percent of his workers’ referendums had been held.
He also said historically no referendum has been successful without bipartisan support.
The government is seeking legislation to establish rules for distributing referendum information and political contributions. A law outlining the referendum process is being considered in the Senate, with the ruling coalition, the Greens and independents calling for changes to protect against foreign interference and make the vote fairer.
Senator Jackie Lambie spoke about the referendum bill and said practical action is needed to support Indigenous communities.
“The minister is saying that one vote will solve these problems,” she told parliament on Tuesday.
“That’s fine, but today we need a solution.”
During a session in the Coalition Hall, lawmakers and senators expressed concern that if the government negotiated with the Greens on how to pass the machine bill, they would not get the results they wanted.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said in a party hall that negotiations with the government would be needed to maximize the chances of a fair election campaign. If the coalition does not support the law, the government will need the Greens and two other votes to pass it.
The Greens want changes to increase voter registration and make campaign donations more transparent.
Another amendment proposed lifting restrictions that prevented prisoners from voting.
Green Party senator Larissa Waters said the government had an opportunity to remedy decades of voter disenfranchisement, especially in indigenous communities.
“Voting is a right, not a privilege,” she said. “Restricting the rights of those held in prison disproportionately affects marginalized communities, including indigenous peoples who are over-incarcerated and underrepresented on electoral rolls.”
His second bill outlining the proposed constitutional amendments is due to be introduced to parliament as early as next week.
