If the referendum gets up, Dutton loses and Albanese wins. Dutton’s management would remain in alarming straits,
If it stops working, as history recommends it will, Dutton chalks up a win, and he’s back in the video game.
That’s the reasoning anyhow. Albanese will attempt to hang any loss around his challenger’s neck.
Confusing position
In taking the position, the Coalition has actually rendered the referendum a lot more complicated than it already is. Not even Coalition MPs who supported the position might explain it later on.
In short, the Liberals will abide by the position the celebration held when in federal government, however never ever troubled executing: that there be constitutional acknowledgment of Indigenous individuals, however not the Voice.
Instead, a local and regional Voice – not a nationwide Voice – would be enacted laws.
At the exact same time, the Coalition will continue with the Kabuki theatre of taking part in a parliamentary questions into the real proposition being put by the federal government, which will consist of going through the pretence of attempting to modify it.
If the general public was puzzled about the Voice prior to Wednesday, it will be flummoxed now. That’s not Dutton’s issue.
As the Aston byelection revealed, the Coalition is experiencing its obvious negativeness. So, it built a position that allows it to support the principle of a Voice, simply not this one.
“Today is not a no from the Liberal Party,” said deputy leader Sussan Ley without a tip of paradox.
“It is a day of many yeses: ‘Yes’ to constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians, ‘Yes’ to local and regional voices.”
This is the kind of snake oil pitched in 1999 by the direct-election republican politicians.
“We support a republic,” they said, however not this “politicians’ republic”.
“Vote it down, and we’ll have another referendum a couple of years”.
That was a quarter of a century back.
