Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Voice proposal is putting Australia at risk, and Australians are recognising it. This is all the more evident through the words that we've heard from Mr Thomas Mayo, a prominent Voice Referendum Working Group member and 'yes' campaigner. Mr Mayo is the National Indigenous Officer for the Maritime Union of Australia and other radical Labor unionists. If you read his comments, you hear pure vitriol. Mr Mayo referred to former prime minister Howard in the most disparaging terms and wants to 'punish politicians that ignore our advice'. If this is the attitude of Referendum Working Group members, I'm deeply concerned for what's to come if the Voice is permanently enshrined within our Constitution.

Mr Mayo is clear that the Voice is a catalyst for reparations and compensation. I fear that, if the Australian government pursues the reparations pathway, we risk future cultural division, leading this country to a very dangerous place indeed. We must learn from the atrocities of the past while recognising that those who are here now do not owe the debt to others. Nobody is proud of the dark days of our history, but we cannot be held captive, forever hell-bent on avenging the past. As a nation we must look to the future and work together to improve the lives of all Australians. This includes creating opportunities and working towards better outcomes for all people, including Indigenous Australians. We must strive for unity as a country, but the Voice proposal has it all wrong, and, in my opinion, it is a risk to our country. If you don't know, vote no.