Dutton flip-flops on proposals for three separate referendums if Coalition wins election
The opposition leader had told The Australian newspaper in an interview published on Saturday that he was open to referendums on the three issues if there could be bipartisanship found with the Labor party. 'I hope at some stage there will be common ground,' Dutton told the newspaper.
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But when quizzed at a press conference in Sydney's west on day two of the election campaign, Dutton denied those constitutional changes were high on his agenda. After helping lead the no case against Labor's referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament, Dutton also shrugged off questions about how he would get Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to support a push for symbolic constitutional recognition – an approach rejected by successive Indigenous-led referendum processes.
Dutton has now twice proposed, and twice shot down, his own proposal for a referendum on Indigenous recognition.
'There will be no referendum until there's a position of bipartisanship, and clearly there's no bipartisanship on this issue, and there will be no referendum over the course of the next term of parliament. The prime minister [Anthony Albanese] has made that very clear,' Dutton said.
Albanese on Sunday repeated his previous comments that he didn't intend to hold any referendum in the next term of parliament. He rubbished Dutton's claims, pointing out the opposition leader's shifting positions on referendums on various topics during this term of parliament.
'He said that he'd hold a referendum on Indigenous recognition and then walked away from it. He also said recently he'd have a referendum about citizenship, but it's not clear what his position is on that either, whether he is still pursuing that,' Albanese told journalists in Canberra.
'This is a guy who has committed at various times during this term now, to three separate referendums going forward. So, I intend to not hold a referendum in the next term. I can confirm that.'
Dutton claimed Albanese had 'squandered the opportunity' for a referendum on Indigenous recognition. Dutton's decision to oppose the voice, rejecting a former position of support from the Liberal party for the concept and hardening his party against the proposal, has been seen as one of the key moments which saw the voice defeated.
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In the press conference, Dutton did not respond directly when asked how he would gain support from Indigenous Australians for the symbolic recognition plan. Instead, he said the Coalition would focus on 'practical support' for Indigenous Australians, noting concerns around education, safety, health and housing.
Dutton had proposed a referendum on symbolic constitutional recognition, such as inserting a mention of Australia's Indigenous history into a preamble of the constitution, as an alternative to the voice. Soon after the voice was defeated by a 60-40 vote, Dutton scrapped the idea, saying Australians were 'probably over the referendum process for some time'.
But two weeks ago he floated a referendum to allow government ministers to strip Australian citizenship from dual nationals convicted of serious crimes. That proposal was supported by many in the Coalition, but raised strong concerns among others, including former Liberal attorney general George Brandis and other legal experts.
Dutton on Sunday again said the Coalition would explore legal or legislative options to strip citizenship from criminal dual nationals, but held open the door for a constitutional change if needed, calling that scenario a 'break glass' situation.
He didn't comment further on his openness for a referendum on four-year parliamentary terms, but said he had spoken to Albanese about the concept. Again Dutton said he would only move forward with bipartisan support. On Sunday, Albanese said he supported four-year terms, meaning both major party leaders do back the concept, even if neither is prepared to commit to a vote on the issue.
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