Federal Labor is no longer committed to holding a vote on whether Australia should become a Republic within its first term of government.
Key points:
- Labor is prioritising a referendum to create an Indigenous Voice to parliament
- It would allow First Nations people a say on policies and laws affecting their communities
- Last election, Labor set aside $160 million for a plebiscite to determine support for a republic
The party is instead prioritising a referendum to create an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which would allow First Nations people a say on policies and laws affecting their communities.
Some Indigenous campaigners and the Australian Monarchist League are concerned that holding two significant votes on constitutional change within a short period could confuse people.
At the last election, federal Labor set aside $160 million for a plebiscite to determine support for a republic, before a referendum on what model that should take at a later date.
A similar policy was announced before the 2017 election, but a Labor government led by Anthony Albanese will take a different approach.
“Constitutional recognition and a Voice to Parliament for First Nations people remain Labor’s constitutional reform priority and at this stage, this is the only referendum we are committed to in our first term of government,” a Labor spokesperson said.
The head of the Australian Monarchist League said he was concerned by suggestions a vote on the republic and Indigenous recognition could be combined.
“If a republic is intertwined with the voice, it will make it more difficult for monarchists to get a straight message across on the single issue of head of state,” Philip Benwell said.
Mr Benwell said a “significant percentage” of his membership supported “some form of constitutional recognition of Indigenous people”.
The ABC contacted the Australia Republican Movement for comment.
Albanese says a referendum is ‘one of my priorities’
The opposition spokeswoman for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, has previously said Labor will only call a referendum on a Voice to Parliament if it is confident of securing a victory.
“We want to maximise the chance of success and do it in a way that has the broad support of the First Nations community,” Ms Burney told the ABC.
Senior Labor figures have routinely said that becoming a republic is not a top priority for many Australians, even while announcing the plebiscite commitment.
On Australia Day this year, Mr Albanese described a Voice to Parliament as one of his party’s top priorities.
“We need to recognise that our history goes back at least 60,000 years, which is why one of my priorities will be to recognise First Nations people in Australia’s Constitution with a constitutionally recognised Voice to Parliament,” Mr Albanese said.
Earlier this week, Indigenous leaders called on the next federal government to hold a referendum within two years.
They identified two possible times for the referendum: May 2023 and January 2024.
Indigenous legal experts have argued that the constitution should be changed so a Voice to Parliament is a permanent arrangement in Australia.
Co-chair of the Uluru Dialogue, Megan Davis, said constitutional change had already received support from unions, businesses and the broader community.
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