NSW Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has issued a blunt warning to his party room to allow a conscience vote on the Voice to Parliament, after NSW MP Andrew Gee quit the Nationals over the party’s decision to oppose the referendum.
Gee, who was the shadow minister for regional education, health and development, made the announcement in a lengthy post on Facebook on Friday morning, declaring his resignation was effective immediately.
Andrew Gee supports the Indigenous Voice to parliament, rejecting his party’s formal opposition. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Gee’s defection from the Nationals underscores divisions within the Coalition over the issue.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says his party will decide early next year on its stance on the referendum, which will ask Australians if they support an indigenous Voice to Parliament being included in the constitution.
Bragg said the referendum was “not about the politicians, it’s about the public having their say”.
“The idea of political parties adopting binding positions on public votes [referendums] is strange and virtually unprecedented,” he told this masthead.
A second Liberal MP, who asked to remain anonymous, said Gee’s resignation was a sign that a conscience vote should be allowed, rather than a position being taken on party lines.
“This is clearly a message that everyone involved in this, whether you’re for it or against it, people want to make their own decision on this,” the MP said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Gee’s statement one “of principle” and said he looked forward to Liberal and crossbench MPs also coming out to support the Voice, which would review and consult on laws that affect Indigenous Australians.
Asked if MPs should be allowed a conscience vote on the issue, Albanese said: “We don’t need to in the Labor Party because everyone in the Labor Party is of a common view”.
He added that it was not up to him to determine what the Coalition parties decided.
The NSW MP’s resignation is a blow to Nationals leader David Littleproud, as it reduces his party’s numbers on the floor of the parliament, but Gee’s decision to quit also means an internal critic of the party’s hardline stance against the Voice has left the party room.
“The recent decision by the National Party to oppose the Indigenous Voice to parliament, and also witnessing the devastation our region has experienced over the past few weeks, has really brought home to me the importance of being able to stand up and be counted,” Gee said in his post.
“I can’t reconcile the fact that every Australian will get a free vote on the vitally important issue of the Voice, yet National Party MPs are expected to fall into line behind a party position that I fundamentally disagree with, and vote accordingly in parliament. While I respect the views of my colleagues, this just isn’t right.”
Gee later told ABC radio on Friday he was “surprised” when Littleproud called the press conference last month to announce the party’s position, “and what was purported to be a united front opposing the Voice was put forward, which was not my position”.
Gee also said he, like others in the community, had become disillusioned with mainstream parties: “I’ve been feeling that keenly for a long time now, and I’ve been carrying it around like a weight, and the weights be lifted today.”
Littleproud said he was disappointed by Gee’s decision but accepted his departure, adding his colleague had always been free to vote his way on the Voice.
“While the Federal Nationals remain united in our decision to oppose The Voice to Parliament, I have stated from the beginning that one of the great things about our Party Room is the ability to have different opinions and speak and vote freely on issues that matter to individual members and nothing has changed,” Littleproud said in a statement.
Gee’s decision to quit the Nationals will mean Littleproud and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will need to make minor changes to their front bench team.
The Nationals announced at a fiery press conference in November they would formally oppose the Voice to parliament, but the party had split over the issue within a day.
Nationals leader David Littleproud and Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price announced the party’s stance on the Voice on November 28. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Gee, who was was the minister for veterans’ affairs and defence personnel in the Morrison government, was the first to break ranks to express his support for the Voice.
The Western Australian state branch also expressed support for the referendum and former federal leader Michael McCormack said the party could reverse its position next year, depending on the details of the proposal.
Albanese described Gee’s resignation as an “extraordinary political development” that left the federal opposition with one fewer vote in the parliament.
“Andrew Gee’s statement is one of principle,” Albanese said. “I look forward to working with him and look forward with members of the Liberal Party, members of crossbenchers across the board who want to recognise, see this as an opportunity to unite our nation. That’s what it should be.”
“I’m pleased that Andrew Gee will be campaigning for a yes vote, but I say to other members of parliament as well – don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of enriching our nation and making us even stronger in the future.”
In his statement, Gee said: “I was once a true believer, but I’m not any more.
“The National Party of today is very different to the one of my youth. I feel that I can best represent the constituents of Calare and our region by speaking out on issues, free from party constraints and expectations.”
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.
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2022-12-23 06:32:36Z
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