Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has declared the Prime Minister “owes the Australian public an apology” over his insistence on holding a referendum on the Voice to Parliament.
The proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by Australians on Saturday night, failing to come close to the required double majority referendum requirement.
All six states – as well as the Northern Territory – voted No in largely massive margins, while the national Yes vote sat just higher than 40 per cent.
With the referendum won and done, Mr Dutton attempted to remain humble, reaching out to Yes voters to declaring he respected their decision as he stood alongside senior No campaigner Jacinta Price in Brisbane shortly after the results became clear.
He also said the outcome of Saturday’s referendum did “not divide us as a people” as he reiterated his principal argument against the proposal.
“I have levelled my criticism at what I consider to have been a bad idea – to divide Australians based on their heritage or the time at which they came to our country,” Mr Dutton said.
“The Coalition, like all Australians, wants to see Indigenous disadvantage addressed. We just disagree on the Voice being the solution.
“This is the referendum that Australia did not need to have. The proposal and the process should have been designed to unite Australians, not to divide us.”
