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Uluru Statement advocates say they hope to convince the Nationals to change their stance on supporting a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Key points:
- The National Party has declared it will oppose an Indigenous Voice to Parliament
- Advocates for the Uluru Statement say declaring a position so far from the vote is "premature"
- The federal government will introduce referendum legislation into parliament this week
On Monday the junior coalition partner became the first political party to officially oppose the Voice, a move that has been labelled "premature" by some.
Quandamooka man and Director of the From the Heart campaign, Dean Parkin says the Nationals are jumping the gun.
"It's a strange decision, it doesn't make a lot of sense, it's very much premature. It means that the Nationals are making a decision without all the information."
"They're pre-empting the work that is happening between now and the referendum that shows absolutely that the Voice is about practical change," Mr Parkin said.
Wiradjuri man and Uluru Dialouge Director Geoff Scott says while the Nationals position is disappointing, he hopes they may still change their minds.
"It's probably good that they've come out now and said what it is," Mr Scott says.
"It gives us time to talk to the Nationals about their position and hopefully persuade them that their position is not the correct one."
Not enough 'practical change' for the Nationals
The Nationals came to the decision unanimously, with the understanding that the Voice is about symbolic change rather than practical outcomes for Indigenous people, particularly on Closing the Gap.
"There is no evidence that this particular Voice to the Parliament is going to support these individuals," Northern Territory senator and Warlpiri-Celtic woman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said.
"What we need now is practical measures, not an idea that lacks complete and utter detail that is based on emotional blackmail," she said.
Mr Parkin says that's not an accurate assessment of what the Voice will be.
"The Voice is about bringing those voices from those communities to the table, bringing that intelligence and informing politicians and bureaucrats about what actually works," he said.
"It's about making sure we get better outcomes through the policies and laws and better value for taxpayers spent."
Referendum logistics to drop this week
Later this week the federal government is expected to introduce its referendum machinery legislation into the lower house.
The bill will likely outline some of the logistics around running a referendum in the digital-age, as well as information campaigns and funding arrangements.
It's anticipated the government will choose not to fund either side of the campaign, and leave it up to philanthropic organisations and the corporate sector.
Constitutional law expert from the University of New South Wales, Professor George Williams says the government is currently prohibited from funding either case.
"So if it leaves things be, we'll have the yes and the no cases, each running, raising their own funds, and the government may well decide that's the best outcome anyway.
"The yes case probably has greater fundraising potential. So it might think better to keep it as that rather than give the no case a leg up," Professor Williams said.