Scrap the Voice for ‘real progress’: SA Libs
Ashton Hurn’s first commitment as leader was to repeal the Voice to Parliament. Today her party revealed what it would spend the money on instead after accusing Labor of having “secret plans” for a Treaty.
The SA Liberals have revealed how they would redirect funding from the state’s Voice to Parliament they committed to abolishing if the party is elected in March – Premier Peter Malinauskas accusing them of chasing One Nation down a “far right rabbit hole”.
Aboriginal Affairs spokesperson Josh Teague today said a Liberal government would repeal SA’s Voice to Parliament and redirect $750,000 in funding to frontline programs including $500,000 to an existing Community Constables program meant to build relationships between the Aboriginal community and SA Police.
It comes after InDaily revealed in January that community constables in Cooper Pedy were being “forced” into frontline work because of “chronic understaffing”, which is hurting their relationships with their Aboriginal community, according to the police union.
Teague said the Liberals would “prioritise practical action to help close gaps in health, education and employment outcomes”.
The party would also allocate $250,000 in additional annual funding for the Shooting Stars program, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young women and girls.
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Teague said he had been meeting with Aboriginal leaders, and Shooting Stars Operations Manager Stacey Gray was one in support of the plan.
“Listening to Aboriginal South Australians is essential, and our focus is on making sure the structures in place are effective and deliver real, practical results,” Teague said.
At her first press conference as Opposition Leader Ashton Hurn committed to repealing the state’s Voice to Parliament.
Teague said the Liberal Party would instead re-establish the Parliamentary Aboriginal Lands Committee that was replaced by the Voice.
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“Real progress comes from well-designed measures that make a difference on the ground, and that is our focus and commitment,” Teague said.
The plan was released after the Liberals put pressure on the Labor government to “come clean” on any plans for treaty and truth before the state election in March.
Liberal shadow treasurer Ben Hood claimed Victoria’s Labor government had spent $700 million on Treaty negotiations, and that if Labor intended to go down the Treaty path, or consider reparation payments, the government must be transparent with taxpayers.
“Labor must immediately reveal how much their secret plans for Treaty and reparation payments will cost South Australian taxpayers, before we head to the polls in just five weeks time,” Hood said.
A government spokesperson said the claim about reparation payments was “simply false”.
“It is baseless fearmongering from a desperate Opposition,” the spokesperson said.
“The State Government will continue to engage with the First Nations Voice and Aboriginal communities regarding Treaty and Truth-telling and this will be undertaken in a sensible and responsible manner.”
When asked on Wednesday afternoon at the Whyalla Steelworks’ Magnetite Mine, Iron Duke, if he had plans for reparation payments or costings for a treaty, Premier Peter Malinauskas told journalists he would not answer questions “on the fly” about “far right conspiracy theories”.
“You are going to see the South Australian Liberal Party start chasing One Nation down the rabbit hole of far-right politics and that’s not where South Australia sits,” Malinauskas said.
“That’s not where our future lies; that’s not consistent with an inclusive, civil, democratic society. I’ll answer all those questions, but I’m not going to do it when I’m here in the Middleback Ranges focusing on this important policy.”
