'All the wrong lessons' from Voice referendum 'backfired' on Coalition, analysts say
Former minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt has blamed Peter Dutton's "doubling down on culture wars", specifically in Indigenous affairs, as a significant contributor to what LNP insiders have called a "catastrophic" election loss.
"To be divisive on a cultural and socio-economic group that lives with disadvantage is not the way in which you lead a country," the former Liberal National Party MP told the ABC's Indigenous Affairs Team.
"It is about statesman-like leadership; it is about looking at what is good for all within our nation.
"Doubling down on cultural wars, including ethnic minorities in Australia, in respect to particular issues in capital cities, is not the way you bring people forward," he said, adding the party failed to show it was "relevant" to women and young people.
After a Neo-Nazi heckled an ANZAC Day Welcome to Country,
Mr Wyatt said some of the electorate "would have been offended" by Mr Dutton's critiques of Welcome to Countries and his vow not to stand in front of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at official press briefings.
"I previously said that of the 60 per cent of Australians who voted no in the referendum because of the way it was managed, do not abandon their support for Indigenous reform and change," the Noongar, Yamatji and Wongi man said.
Ken Wyatt said the result of the election showed "a rejection of the divisiveness" of the campaign.
(
ABC: Keane Bourke
)
Career pathways, economic stability and home ownership would have been a better strategy in reaching these voters, in Mr Wyatt's view, than "this symbolic, divisive behaviour [and] the Trumpian approach in some of the rhetoric".
Although Mr Dutton has apologised for boycotting the 2008 National Apology to the Stolen Generations — saying he failed to grasp its
"If I take just the simple notion of walking out of the apology, then that is a reflection of a position you hold," he said.
"However, what you would expect of any leader is for them to learn from that and to go back to a fundamental, basic approach of leading this country for all [and] not to be divisive."
Mr Wyatt also had concerns about Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's leadership.
"I have a view about the way in which the portfolio should be handled. I wouldn't handle it the way that Jacinta did," he said.
"So what I'm pleased about is that Malarndirri McCarthy is the minister …
"So there is relief because there was certainly concern about Jacinta becoming minister for Indigenous Australians, some of her commentary have frightened and dismayed a lot of people."
Coalition 'misread' Voice result, says pollster
Pollster Kos Samaras agrees the Coalition "completely misread" the 2023 vote against the Voice.
"They took all the wrong lessons from the referendum and basically inserted their own biases in thinking that Australians have very strong views on the issues of Indigenous rights that are in line with their views," said the Redbridge director.
"They were absolutely incorrect … they obviously thought that the outer suburbs voting no meant that the outer suburbs were animated by this issue, when in reality, they voted no because it wasn't a top-order issue for them."
Redbridge pollster Kos Samaras says young voters swung hard towards the government on polling day.
It is the reason, in Mr Samaras's view, why Liberal leadership embarked on culture war politics that "backfired" for the party and "contributed" to its election loss.
Spending significant time and resources on campaigning against the Voice also hurt the Coalition among gen Z voters, who split two in three towards Labor on preferences, according to the former Victorian Labor strategist.
Liberal member Warren Mundine says a "weak campaign" cost the party in the 2025 election.
(
ABC: Chris Taylor
)
Calling the Liberals' campaign "clumsy", Nyunggai Warren Mundine — who campaigned against the Voice — said he was surprised the party did not do enough early on to capture Labor voters who were opposed to the Voice.
"Everyday Australians, it is about hip pocket," the Liberal member said, adding that "non-issues" Welcome to Countries and flags were currently not important to Australians.
"It weakened their [cost of living] message."
Mr Mundine wanted to see crime highlighted in the campaign, as well as Closing the Gap issues like education and jobs.
"One of the sad things about this election was, it's probably the first time that I've seen a federal election in decades where Aboriginal affairs was not front-and-centre," he said.
Mr Mundine, who missed out on Liberal preselection in the Bradfield electorate earlier this year, added there were "huge problems" within the Coalition and said it must sort out the "factional fighting" and do a lot of "soul-searching".
Labor also 'miscalculated' electorate's Voice vote: Mayo
Prominent Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo says Labor "needs to get serious about policy" for Indigenous people.
(
ABC News: Billy Cooper
)
Thomas Mayo, Yes campaigner and signatory to the Uluru Statement, said "the Coalition put a lot of energy and effort into punching down" on First Nations Australians during the campaign, reflecting "a continuing nastiness" since the referendum.
"They are the party that attacks minorities to try and win some votes, and it didn't work for them this time," the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander author said.
Mr Mayo also accused the prime minister of "walking away" from his 2022 election night commitment to implement the Uluru Statement — including Treaty and Truth-telling — in full.
"He [Mr Dutton] has created a very strong mandate for Labor now that the rejection of the Voice was not a rejection of progress in Indigenous Affairs," he said.
"Labor made a calculation to avoid that to get re-elected … I don't think it was the right calculation."
Senator Kerrynne Liddle says, "this is a time for reflection and review" for the Liberal Party.
(
ABC: Justin Hewitson
)
Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle said it will take time to work out what happened on the weekend, saying they will be using this time for "reflection and review".
The Arrernte woman dismissed the idea the vote was a rejection by a large part of the electorate of so-called culture war issues.
"I think most of the Australian public would think that it was pretty silly to suggest that it is a single issue that has resulted in the outcome that we've seen."
She said "there is a place for acknowledgements, but it's not every single day, in meetings, within workplaces".
"There is doing the hard work that makes a difference to the lives of those people that need it. That's what I will remain focused on, not putting a prize-winning bunch of words together that make people feel good about it."
The shadow minister, whose portfolio includes child protection, family violence and Indigenous health, remains committed to an audit of Indigenous affairs spending and said the opposition would continue to hold Labor to "account" on these issues.
'Labor pretend to be our friends': Thorpe
Reflecting on the results of the weekend, independent senator Lidia Thorpe said she was "not too impressed" with the outcome.
"We got rid of an overt racist political party, and we've got a covert one," the Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman said.
"I'm disappointed that we didn't get more independents in and more minor parties with seats that could hold Labor accountable for their hollow words on justice for our people."
Senator Lidia Thorpe is disappointed more independents didn't get elected into the 2025 parliament.
(
ABC: Patrick Stone
)
But now Labor has been voted in for a second term, Senator Thorpe — who has long called for Treaty and Truth-telling — said it now had the power to "make a real difference".
"[Under Labor] we see the rise in stolen children, the rise in kids in out-of-home care, we're seeing the rise of incarceration of our people [and] the rise of Black women incarcerated," she said.
"Labor pretend to be our friends, but they stab us all in the back every day, and I am sick of begging the Labor Party to give us the justice that we deserve."
The ABC requested an interview with Minister for Indigenous Affairs Malarndirri McCarthy and Shadow Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Queensland considering making public drunkenness a crime
Less than a year after laws decriminalising public drunkenness came into effect, the Queensland Government is considering making it a crime again - despite an outcry from First Nations, legal and human rights advocates. In September last year Queensland became the last state to decriminalise being drunk in public , more than 30 years after the move was recommended by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. On Wednesday Liberal National Party Police Minister Dan Purdie, a former officer, said the Government was looking at introducing laws making public drunkenness and public urination offences again, saying their removal had "hamstrung police". But First Nations and human rights advocates say it's yet another move in the wrong direction for the Queensland Government, which has introduced a raft of 'tough on crime' measures since David Crisafulli's LNP swept to power in October last year. Greg Shadbolt, principal legal officer of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal service for Queensland, told NITV that there was "absolutely no basis in logic" to reintroduce laws criminalising public drunkenness. "If someone's intoxicated and does something untoward like turns up and kicks a rubbish bin, they can still be arrested, so it simply doesn't stand up to any form of scrutiny," he said. "There's no reason why being intoxicated without actually doing anything untoward of itself should be an offence." The National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, said the proposal was a deeply irresponsible move and an attack on Aboriginal lives. Spokesperson Tabitha Lean, a Gunditjmara woman, said the National Network rejects the idea that the only way to respond to public drunkenness and public urination is through police and punishment. "Public health issues require public health responses, not criminal charges," she said. "This latest move shows once again that the lives and safety of Aboriginal people are expendable in the LNP's political playbook." Public drunkenness laws have long been used as a tool of racialised policing and criminalisation, disproportionately targeting Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people, Debbie Kilroy said, pointing out that was the reason the royal commission recommended scrapping them. NSW decriminalised public intoxication in 1979. A state parliamentary report looking at decriminalising offences affecting vulnerable people found a strong correlation between intoxication and higher risk a person will die in custody. "This is not about safety, it's about punishment, surveillance, and scapegoating," Ms Kilroy said. "We cannot forget the death of Yorta Yorta woman Aunty Tanya Day, who died in custody in 2017 after being arrested under public drunkenness laws, while asleep on a train (in Victoria). "Her death was entirely preventable – she should have been cared for, not criminalised. "Her family, like many others, have been tireless in their fight to abolish public drunkenness laws and demand dignity and care instead of police violence." Victoria decriminalised public drunkenness in November 2023, thanks to advocacy by Tanya Day's family and other members of the Aboriginal community. Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall told Guardian Australia that a move to re-introduce the laws would "represent another blow in a continuing assault on the rights of First Nations people in Queensland'. 'Police do not lack the powers to respond in the interests of community safety," he said. "The solution to these behaviours is a much greater investment in health and prevention. 'To reintroduce a public drunkenness offence would signal that the Queensland government has no interest in Closing the Gap or reducing deaths in custody.' On Tuesday LNP Townsville MP Adam Baillie told Parliament that public intoxication wasn't a new problem. "Under Labor public drunkenness and public urination laws were revoked, paving the way for the antisocial behaviour that has been plaguing our great city for years," he said. "It is only getting worse." Ms Kilroy called on the Queensland Government to implement the royal commission recommendations, including keeping public drunkenness decriminalised. "This is not just a policy decision, it is part of a broader 'law and order' blitz by the LNP, who continue to rely on carceral responses and fearmongering in the absence of any meaningful vision for the state," she said. "Rather than investing in housing, health care, or community-led responses to harm, the LNP are doubling down on the same racist, harmful strategies that have already cost too many lives."
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Low pharmacy vaping uptake fuels black market fears
Fewer than 200 non-prescription vapes are being sold through pharmacists each day, fuelling speculation a massive black market continues to thrive. Landmark law changes that took effect in October meant the products can only legally be sold through pharmacies, with prison terms and huge fines for those caught illegally supplying or manufacturing vapes. But data released by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) found little more than 40,000 vapes were supplied via pharmacists without a prescription in the first seven months of the scheme. That compares with the more than nine million illegal vapes seized since January 2024, showing bulk demand for the product in Australia. The TGA does not know how many vapes were sold via prescriptions, though only about 3000 medical practitioners are approved to prescribe them nationwide. But Health Minister Mark Butler insisted the laws had been effective, because smoking prevalence data had Australia's rates at all-time lows across all age groups. "We're taking on big tobacco on the one hand and organised crime on the other, which continues to use vapes as a ready source of revenue to fund all their other criminal activities," he said. "We know this is not going to be easy, but we're really pleased that our world leading (is) finally turning the corner on this public health scourge." But critics, including the federal opposition, said the data showed the government's approach was not working. "Instead of actually working to come up with a solution and have the enforcement that needed to go with it, (the government) doubled down on that policy and went to a completely unconsolidated policy that said you can only buy vapes by going to the pharmacy," opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston told Sky. "The pharmacies didn't want to do that and, lo and behold, 18 months later, quite clearly, it's not working. "The real tragedy of all this is the fact we have seen young Australians particularly forced into the hands of organised crime." NSW Liberal MP Kellie Sloane said the lack of buy-in from pharmacists was driving consumers to tobacconists selling vapes on the black market. "People are buying them illegally, and if not buying the vapes, they'll buy the illicit tobacco," she told 2GB. A TGA spokesman said the approach taken by the government was working because vaping use among young Australians was decreasing. "The government's world-leading reforms to vaping products were designed to make illicit vapes easier to detect and to reduce opportunities for unlawful trade in these products," he said. "Strengthening the regulation of all e-cigarettes, through enhanced border controls, banning all single-use vaping devices, ending the sale of vapes outside of pharmacies, and heightening advertising restrictions on vapes has made it easier to identify and disrupt the illicit supply of vapes and take enforcement action." After the new federal laws came into force, NSW authorities seized more than 47,000 illegal vapes in the last three months of 2024. Australian Border Force and TGA officials themselves seized more than seven million vapes at borders across all of 2024. Fewer than 200 non-prescription vapes are being sold through pharmacists each day, fuelling speculation a massive black market continues to thrive. Landmark law changes that took effect in October meant the products can only legally be sold through pharmacies, with prison terms and huge fines for those caught illegally supplying or manufacturing vapes. But data released by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) found little more than 40,000 vapes were supplied via pharmacists without a prescription in the first seven months of the scheme. That compares with the more than nine million illegal vapes seized since January 2024, showing bulk demand for the product in Australia. The TGA does not know how many vapes were sold via prescriptions, though only about 3000 medical practitioners are approved to prescribe them nationwide. But Health Minister Mark Butler insisted the laws had been effective, because smoking prevalence data had Australia's rates at all-time lows across all age groups. "We're taking on big tobacco on the one hand and organised crime on the other, which continues to use vapes as a ready source of revenue to fund all their other criminal activities," he said. "We know this is not going to be easy, but we're really pleased that our world leading (is) finally turning the corner on this public health scourge." But critics, including the federal opposition, said the data showed the government's approach was not working. "Instead of actually working to come up with a solution and have the enforcement that needed to go with it, (the government) doubled down on that policy and went to a completely unconsolidated policy that said you can only buy vapes by going to the pharmacy," opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston told Sky. "The pharmacies didn't want to do that and, lo and behold, 18 months later, quite clearly, it's not working. "The real tragedy of all this is the fact we have seen young Australians particularly forced into the hands of organised crime." NSW Liberal MP Kellie Sloane said the lack of buy-in from pharmacists was driving consumers to tobacconists selling vapes on the black market. "People are buying them illegally, and if not buying the vapes, they'll buy the illicit tobacco," she told 2GB. A TGA spokesman said the approach taken by the government was working because vaping use among young Australians was decreasing. "The government's world-leading reforms to vaping products were designed to make illicit vapes easier to detect and to reduce opportunities for unlawful trade in these products," he said. "Strengthening the regulation of all e-cigarettes, through enhanced border controls, banning all single-use vaping devices, ending the sale of vapes outside of pharmacies, and heightening advertising restrictions on vapes has made it easier to identify and disrupt the illicit supply of vapes and take enforcement action." After the new federal laws came into force, NSW authorities seized more than 47,000 illegal vapes in the last three months of 2024. Australian Border Force and TGA officials themselves seized more than seven million vapes at borders across all of 2024. Fewer than 200 non-prescription vapes are being sold through pharmacists each day, fuelling speculation a massive black market continues to thrive. Landmark law changes that took effect in October meant the products can only legally be sold through pharmacies, with prison terms and huge fines for those caught illegally supplying or manufacturing vapes. But data released by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) found little more than 40,000 vapes were supplied via pharmacists without a prescription in the first seven months of the scheme. That compares with the more than nine million illegal vapes seized since January 2024, showing bulk demand for the product in Australia. The TGA does not know how many vapes were sold via prescriptions, though only about 3000 medical practitioners are approved to prescribe them nationwide. But Health Minister Mark Butler insisted the laws had been effective, because smoking prevalence data had Australia's rates at all-time lows across all age groups. "We're taking on big tobacco on the one hand and organised crime on the other, which continues to use vapes as a ready source of revenue to fund all their other criminal activities," he said. "We know this is not going to be easy, but we're really pleased that our world leading (is) finally turning the corner on this public health scourge." But critics, including the federal opposition, said the data showed the government's approach was not working. "Instead of actually working to come up with a solution and have the enforcement that needed to go with it, (the government) doubled down on that policy and went to a completely unconsolidated policy that said you can only buy vapes by going to the pharmacy," opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston told Sky. "The pharmacies didn't want to do that and, lo and behold, 18 months later, quite clearly, it's not working. "The real tragedy of all this is the fact we have seen young Australians particularly forced into the hands of organised crime." NSW Liberal MP Kellie Sloane said the lack of buy-in from pharmacists was driving consumers to tobacconists selling vapes on the black market. "People are buying them illegally, and if not buying the vapes, they'll buy the illicit tobacco," she told 2GB. A TGA spokesman said the approach taken by the government was working because vaping use among young Australians was decreasing. "The government's world-leading reforms to vaping products were designed to make illicit vapes easier to detect and to reduce opportunities for unlawful trade in these products," he said. "Strengthening the regulation of all e-cigarettes, through enhanced border controls, banning all single-use vaping devices, ending the sale of vapes outside of pharmacies, and heightening advertising restrictions on vapes has made it easier to identify and disrupt the illicit supply of vapes and take enforcement action." After the new federal laws came into force, NSW authorities seized more than 47,000 illegal vapes in the last three months of 2024. Australian Border Force and TGA officials themselves seized more than seven million vapes at borders across all of 2024. Fewer than 200 non-prescription vapes are being sold through pharmacists each day, fuelling speculation a massive black market continues to thrive. Landmark law changes that took effect in October meant the products can only legally be sold through pharmacies, with prison terms and huge fines for those caught illegally supplying or manufacturing vapes. But data released by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) found little more than 40,000 vapes were supplied via pharmacists without a prescription in the first seven months of the scheme. That compares with the more than nine million illegal vapes seized since January 2024, showing bulk demand for the product in Australia. The TGA does not know how many vapes were sold via prescriptions, though only about 3000 medical practitioners are approved to prescribe them nationwide. But Health Minister Mark Butler insisted the laws had been effective, because smoking prevalence data had Australia's rates at all-time lows across all age groups. "We're taking on big tobacco on the one hand and organised crime on the other, which continues to use vapes as a ready source of revenue to fund all their other criminal activities," he said. "We know this is not going to be easy, but we're really pleased that our world leading (is) finally turning the corner on this public health scourge." But critics, including the federal opposition, said the data showed the government's approach was not working. "Instead of actually working to come up with a solution and have the enforcement that needed to go with it, (the government) doubled down on that policy and went to a completely unconsolidated policy that said you can only buy vapes by going to the pharmacy," opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston told Sky. "The pharmacies didn't want to do that and, lo and behold, 18 months later, quite clearly, it's not working. "The real tragedy of all this is the fact we have seen young Australians particularly forced into the hands of organised crime." NSW Liberal MP Kellie Sloane said the lack of buy-in from pharmacists was driving consumers to tobacconists selling vapes on the black market. "People are buying them illegally, and if not buying the vapes, they'll buy the illicit tobacco," she told 2GB. A TGA spokesman said the approach taken by the government was working because vaping use among young Australians was decreasing. "The government's world-leading reforms to vaping products were designed to make illicit vapes easier to detect and to reduce opportunities for unlawful trade in these products," he said. "Strengthening the regulation of all e-cigarettes, through enhanced border controls, banning all single-use vaping devices, ending the sale of vapes outside of pharmacies, and heightening advertising restrictions on vapes has made it easier to identify and disrupt the illicit supply of vapes and take enforcement action." After the new federal laws came into force, NSW authorities seized more than 47,000 illegal vapes in the last three months of 2024. Australian Border Force and TGA officials themselves seized more than seven million vapes at borders across all of 2024.
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Israelis are used to living under conflict but Iran's strikes are making many wary
The streets around Jerusalem are eerily quiet and empty. Since Israel launched strikes into Iran late last week in what it says is an existential fight for its future, it feels like life inside Israel has come to a standstill. In Jerusalem, schools, some restaurants, and even businesses including banks are closed. Residents are heeding warnings to stay inside, anticipating another wave of retaliatory Iranian missiles at any moment. In Tel Aviv, people have been hauling sleeping bags and pillows into bomb shelters night after night. The mood feels tense and uncertain, even for a population that's very used to combat. The last time Israel was thrust into a similar societal standstill was in the days following the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023 and the start of the Israel-Gaza war. Since then, Israel has been engaged in non-stop combat, it says sometimes on at least seven different fronts. So most Israelis are used to living under conflict. But now Israel is hooked in yet another, potentially more dangerous war. There seems to be a widespread fear among civilians here that this moment in warfare is more dangerous, and different than all the others. "Just when you think you're scraping the bottom of the barrel, it gets deeper," one person told the ABC. It's not unusual for Israelis to receive an incoming rocket-alert notification on their phone, or for air-raid style sirens to ring out through the air. The aerial defence systems Israel relies on to protect against outside threats have traditionally given Israelis confidence that their loved ones would be relatively safe under attack, especially in larger population areas like Tel Aviv. There has long been a feeling here that while ongoing war is uncomfortable, Israel's defence capabilities would ensure civilian safety was largely guaranteed. But that sense of security has been shattered in recent days as the defences are being put through their biggest test ever and the cracks are showing. Iran is a far more formidable foe than other opponents Israel has engaged in war in the last 18 months, like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The power, and strength of Iran's weapons cache is potent. It is estimated Iran has thousands of ballistic missiles, which Tehran has stockpiled for years and is now unleashing on Israel in retaliation. Hundreds of Iranian rockets have been launched into Israeli airspace over the last few days, and despite Israel's advanced aerial defence systems, several are making landfall. Even the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) concedes it doesn't have the capabilities to stop all the missiles when overwhelmed with a volley of hundreds. Civilians, who live near major Iranian targets including the IDF's main headquarters in Tel Aviv, are increasingly scared. Over the weekend, some limitations in Israel's fight against Iran were exposed when a rocket smashed into a residential complex in the central Israeli city of Bat Yam killing at least six people, including a 10-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl. Despite Israel's attempts to intercept the ongoing waves of missiles, the last few days have reminded residents here that if even one of Iran's more powerful rockets can get through, it can cause mass civilian causalities. The reality of war against an advanced opponent like Iran has left Israelis scared, and in shock. Local social media groups have been flooded with fevered questions on how to leave the country with Israel's airspace remaining closed. There are hours-long queues at land border crossings into Egypt and Jordan — currently the only way to exit Israel. Israel's Health Ministry has also reported it has been inundated with calls to its emotional support hotlines since the fighting with Iran broke out. People on the ground have told the ABC their sense of security has been rocked — and it is likely to get worse. If Iran continues to fire even at least 100 missiles per day, it will potentially keep Israel's home front under heavy pressure for weeks, or perhaps even months. In such a scenario, the likelihood of rising civilian casualties is high. It's too early to tell what the appetite is here amongst Israelis for a protracted conflict with Iran. A lot of people agree that the threat Iran poses to Israel is so big that it has warranted Israel's extraordinary strikes that kicked off the war. But for a war-weary community, the reaction from Iran may mean this could start to feel like one fight too far.
