Greens pledge support for Voice to Parliament after senator quits
The Greens have confirmed they will support the Voice to Parliament referendum, hours after Senator Lidia Thorpe quit the party over the issue.
The federal party room tonight agreed to support legislation enabling the referendum and to campaign for the “yes” vote, it announced in a statement.
“The Greens were the first party to support all elements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and today we reaffirm that commitment,” Greens Leader Adam Bandt said in a statement.
“Following months of discussion with Labor which resulted in funding for truth and treaty and guarantees that First Nations Sovereignty will not be ceded, and after discussion with our party and our own Blak Greens network, the Greens will support the Voice referendum.
“We want the referendum to succeed, we want first Nations justice and we want truth and treaty as well as a Voice.”
Thorpe earlier today quit the party to pursue the “Black sovereignty movement” as an independent.
The DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara had earlier questioned the Voice to parliament, which the Albanese Labor government is pushing to succeed at a referendum this year.
“This country has a strong grassroots Black sovereign movement full of staunch and committed warriors and I want to represent that movement fully in this parliament,” Thorpe said today.
“It has become clear to me I can’t do that from within the Greens.
“Now I will be able to speak freely on all issues from a sovereign perspective without being constrained from portfolios and agreed party positions.”
