Anthony Albanese has laughed off claims he misled Australians when he stated the Voice to parliament was not a few treaty after an image of him sporting a “Voice, Treaty, Truth” T-shirt resurfaced.
The Prime Minister made the assertion final week in a tense interview on 2GB’s Ben Fordham wherein the pair traded barbs because the radio host grilled him in regards to the upcoming referendum.
But an outdated video of Mr Albanese dancing at a Midnight Oil live performance and sporting the T-shirt final October prompted former prime minister Tony Abbott to unleash on the chief.
“I suppose this is the problem when you turn yourself into a billboard,” Mr Abbott stated throughout an interview with Fordham on Monday.
“And quite apart from anything the Prime Minister chose to wear at a concert, I go back to that initial statement he made as prime minister. The new government is committed to the Uluru statement from the Heart in full – in other words, voice, treaty, truth in full.
“It was, as I said, a moment of amnesia for the Prime Minister to deny here in this chair last week that the Voice had anything to do with treaty. It has everything to do with treaty.
“The whole point of having a voice, if the activists are to be believed, is to start the treaty-making process, and government ministers have said as much.”
When requested in regards to the controversy on Shoalhaven’s Power FM on Tuesday morning, Mr Albanese stated the entire thing gave him amusing.
“Who knew someone would wear a Midnight Oil T-shirt at a Midnight Oil concert? I did see that and have a laugh. Frankly, it shows the desperation of people,” the Labor chief chuckled.
He urged the No camp to run a “legitimate, sensible campaign” and take heed to folks in the area people.
“On a big scale, we need to listen to Indigenous Australians in order to get better outcomes to close the gap, and that’s what it’s about,” he continued.
“Every day I see more furphies put up of why people shouldn’t support this sensible proposal … All the scare campaigns don’t really have substance to them.
“The Yes case is positive. It’s about hope. The No camp is all about fear really and raising issues that are designed to sow doubt.”
Mr Albanese dedicated to the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, together with a Makaratta Commission to supervise “treaty” and “truth-telling” with Indigenous Australians.
Asked in May if the Voice would result in treaty and truth-telling, Mr Albanese stated: “They are very much a part of the next phase, if you like.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
