Referendum Day Press Conference – Doubleview Primary School
Saturday 14 October 2023
Keywords: Voice of division, referendum, vote no, Mr Albanese, Peter Dutton.
Senator Cash:
Well, it’s great to be here this morning on a beautiful Perth day at the Doubleview Primary School and exercising like so many people here, my democratic right to vote in this referendum. Today’s referendum it is incredibly important, and it’s going to affect all Australians. If the referendum does get up tonight, it will be the biggest constitutional change in our history. And unfortunately even just talking to people here this morning, people are saying to me, can you provide me with any details in relation to how the Voice will work? And the sad reality is that even today, October the 14th referendum day, Mr. Albanese continues to fail the Australian people by not providing them with the details in relation to how the voice will actually work.
What we do know is that if the voice does get up, it is risky, it is unknown, it is permanent. But more than that, it will divide Australians regardless of the outcome tonight. One thing that Mr. Albanese has done is divide this nation, and that is a great shame that he has done this as a leader. It also didn’t need to be this way. Mr Albanese has consistently told Australians that this is all about constitutional recognition. It’s a modest change when he knows that is not true. The majority of Australians supporting constitutional recognition. The Liberal Party and the National Party support constitutional recognition Peter Dutton had said to Mr Albanese if you proceed with constitutional recognition, you will have our bipartisan support, but Mr. Albanese he chose to play politics over good policy. He chose to proceed with this risky Voice. And again, regardless of tonight’s outcome, the one thing that Mr. Albanese has done is divide Australians. Tomorrow our focus needs to be on uniting our country moving forward together. But in particular, focusing on those issues that matter to all Australians. And that is of course the cost of living. It does not matter where I have been in the lead up to the referendum. The one thing that Western Australians are raising with me is the cost of living and we need our Prime Minister who has been distracted for the last 16 to 17 months in relation to the voice issue to for once and for all concentrate on delivering in relation to the cost of living. But again, I voted no. I voted no to Mr. Albanese, his divisive voice of division. Are there any questions?
Journalist:
How are you feeling about the no vote in WA and nationally and given the polling?
Senator Cash:
Well, again, ultimately, tonight’s result is a decision for the Australian people and regardless of the outcome, we will accept the result. However, as I’ve moved around Western Australia, and I have spoken to person after person after person, the one thing that we all have in common regardless of whether we’re voting no or yes, is that we all want to see improved outcomes for our most marginalised Australians – on that we are united. But the issue that keeps getting raised with me time and time again, is why would the Prime Minister of this country ask Australians to cast a vote that divides our nation on the basis of race, or ancestry? They find that very distressing. Those who want to know more details. They’ve gone to look for those details, but those details cannot be provided. And that is why I’ve been out there every day saying to people, it’s okay, if you don’t know, vote, no. But ultimately, tonight is a decision for the Australian people and I will respect the outcome of the vote, whatever that may be.
Journalist:
If the Yes vote doesn’t get up, should we anticipate calls for Anthony Albanese to lose his job?
Senator Cash:
Well, again, if the Yes case does not get up then that is squarely at the feet of our Prime Minister. He chose to walk down this divisive path. He chose to throw away the opportunity for bipartisan support. He chose not to pursue constitutional recognition alone, but to pursue constitutional recognition – and this is what he forgets to tell people – through Labour’s risky Voice. He chose 17 months ago to ask Australians to vote on the vibe despite Peter Dutton writing to him in January of this year, asking 15 very basic questions on behalf of the Australian people in relation to the details of how the Voice will work. Mr. Albanese continues to say the Voice design starts the day after the referendum if it gets up, so Mr. Albanese regardless again of the outcome tonight, he has to take personal responsibility for going down this path and dividing our nation.
Journalist:
In your view, what does the Prime Minister taking responsibility look like? If the no vote does get up, what would you be expecting Anthony Albanese to do?
Senator Cash:
I would expect Mr. Albanese to actually say to the Australian people: I should have listened to Peter Dutton. I didn’t have to proceed with this. I could have pursued constitutional recognition itself and I would have brought the nation together. Referendums in Australia get up when they have bipartisan support. That is the history of referendums in our great country. Peter Dutton offered to Anthony Albanese bipartisan support in relation to the issue of constitutional recognition. The polling shows the majority of Australians support the constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, but Mr. Albanese decided to pursue politics over good policy. But Mr. Albanese also needs tomorrow to explain to the Australian people why he chose to go down this path. It has been a very traumatic last 12 months for the majority of Australian people. Whether you are voting no today as I have done or whether you are voting yes, the Australian people are actually asking Mr. Albanese: Why have you been distracted from the one issue that does actually affect each and every Australian? And that is of course the cost of living crisis that is now beset Australia under the Anthony Albanese government. So tomorrow I would hope Mr. Albanese can wake up and say to Australians regardless of the outcome, we need to unite. We need to move forward. We need to do what we all want to do, and that is achieve the best possible outcome for our most disadvantaged Australians. That starts with an audit of the $30 billion dollars a year that we funnel out of Canberra each year, but doesn’t quite make it to those regional and remote communities on the ground. But not only that Mr. Albanese should present a plan to Australians as to how he is going to improve their lives and address the cost of living crisis.
Journalist:
You were a Federal Minister. You know every lever that government has got, but after nine years in office, the gap remains. So what’s what miracle solution?
Senator Cash:
Well, again, I’m in opposition. So as Peter Dutton has consistently said: We will announce our policies going forward in the lead up to the election. But the one thing we have been very, very clear both Peter Dutton as leader of the opposition, and Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price as the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians: Accountability, accountability, accountability. We would initiate an audit in relation to the funding because the one message I have consistently heard from people, as I’ve moved around Western Australia where is the funding going and it’s a very good question. Good programs that deliver outcomes – they suddenly don’t get government funding, bad programs that continue to get government funding. There doesn’t seem to be any, you know, KPIs in relation to the educational outcomes, the housing outcomes, the infrastructure outcomes, the law and order outcomes or social outcomes. For the first time we need to unite as Australia and say: We will demand accountability. But what we also need to do when again, regardless of the outcome of the referendum tonight, we need to ensure we are listening to those voices on the ground in the regional and remote communities. Forget the Canberra based elites. They represent the interests of the Canberra based elites. Let’s unite together and listen to communities on the ground. If a community is saying to you, this is what we need, let’s work with that community and make a positive difference in their lives.
Journalist:
Is that possible, though, there are programs in this state that have been running for more than a decade and are still on annual funding?
Senator Cash:
You raise a very good issue. That is exactly right. We need to examine this and understand why. And if they are good programs and they are getting the outcomes that we need, then quite frankly, you do need to look at the way they are being funded. Yes.
Journalist:
What do you say re the reconciliation process being tomorrow in the event of a successful no vote?
Senator Cash:
Yes, well, again, as I’ve said, the one thing that we all have in common, regardless of whether or not you are voting yes or no in this referendum is that we all want to see better outcomes for our most disadvantaged Australians. And that’s better outcomes regardless of ancestry, regardless of race. We need better outcomes based on need. If you are marginalized, if you are disadvantaged as a government we should be focusing on how we can improve your lives. So what unites us tomorrow, is that regardless of the referendum outcome, that is what we all want to see, and we should proceed on that basis. But if the no case does get up tonight and the referendum fails, what that does mean is Australians have said no to Mr. Albanese, his voice of division,
Journalist:
If the yes vote gets up, will the Coalition work with that advisory body that you’ve labeled Canberra elites?
Senator Cash:
Peter Dutton has made it very very clear if the yes vote gets up tonight, we will respect the decision of the Australian people because ultimately, as we stand here today, all of us exercising our democratic rights. That is what a referendum is the ability for an Australian person to exercise their democratic right and if Australians today say yes, we will respect that decision. What we would then like to see though, our policy doesn’t change – accountability because I think that is required, but also, if the Voice does get up it is a Canberra based Voice – the one thing that we would like to focus on – me as a Western Australian, Senator Nampijinpa Price, Senator Kerrynne Liddle as those who were born and bred in Alice Springs and that’s Western and that’s where Senator Nampijinpa Price lives – ensuring that those regional and remote communities on the ground – let’s ensure that their voices are heard. But it’s a referendum. We will respect the decision of the Australian people.
Journalist:
Some have raised concerns about conflicts at polling places across the country. What’s your message?
Senator Cash:
My message to voters today, our message on behalf of Peter Dutton, Senator Nampijinpa Price and all of us who have been saying if you don’t know vote no – work together, respect one another. What a great country we live in, we actually can exercise our democratic right to vote whether or not that be to say no or say yes. I look around today, here at the Doubleview primary school and there has quite frankly been as we’ve all seen hundreds going through this morning. The queue was about 300 metres long I think at one stage. People have conducted themselves civilly and appropriately and that is my message. To everybody who was out there. It’s a great honour to be able to vote.
Journalist:
If there’s a no vote today, what should states do in regards to state based voices from tomorrow onwards?
Senator Cash:
Well, again, that is a decision for each individual state and territory, but I would say to the States listen very carefully to what the people of Australia have said. If the no vote does get up tonight, and in particular, here in Western Australia – if the no vote does get up, I mean, Western Australians have already been through it once with Roger Cook and his absolutely disastrous Aboriginal cultural heritage laws. The reason the Labor government had to scrap those laws is because the people of Western Australia in particular our farmers and landowners stood up and said: My land – hands off Mr. Cook. They had to scrap those laws. Now, if a no vote does get up tonight, and it gets up in Western Australia, I would say to the state Labor government here, respect the vote of the Western Australian people.
Journalist:
If Australians are – as you say – divided, how do they go about repairing that?
Senator Cash:
It’s a very good question. It is a very good question. Because as I said, for the last 12 months, it’s been a very traumatic experience for so many Australians, regardless of whether you are voting yes or no. Mr Albanese never ever had to proceed with this referendum. He was given multiple opportunities along the way for bipartisan support by Peter Dutton in relation to the issue of constitutional recognition. And along the way, Peter has said to him – out talking to the Australian people – you are dividing the country you do not need to proceed. But again, Mr. Albanese chose the politics of division and to walk down this path. So Mr. Albanese he himself as the Prime Minister of this country is the one tomorrow regardless of the outcome of this referendum, who needs to unite Australians?
Journalist:
What do you make of the suggestion that a no vote could lead to the rise of radicalism inside indigenous communities?
Senator Cash:
I don’t agree with that. A no vote is on behalf of the Australian people – say no to the voice of division. Many indigenous people do not support today’s referendum. Senator Nampijinpa Price, her mother Bess Price, Senator Kerrynne Liddle, Warren Mundine. There are many many Indigenous people out there who do not support today’s referendum. But what they do all support is better outcomes on the ground for our most marginalised Australians, thank you very much.
Recent Comments