Canberra, April 21 (IANS) The proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament of Australia would enhance the nation’s system of government, the country’s top lawyer said on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the federal government released the legal advice of Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue on its proposed model for the Voice, reports Xinhua news agency.
Australians are expected to head to the polls in the second half of 2023 to vote on whether the Voice should be established in the nation’s constitution.
If the referendum is successful, the new body could have the power to make representations to Parliament and the Executive Government on issues relating to Indigenous Australians.
In his 24-page opinion, Donaghue dismissed concerns that the Voice would act as a “third chamber” of Parliament.
“The proposed amendment is not only compatible with the system of representative and responsible government established under the constitution, but it enhances that system,” he wrote.
Donaghue rejected claims and suggestions that inserting the phrase “executive government” could trigger a wave of legal challenges.
He said it would not impose any obligations upon the executive government to follow representations of the Voice, or to consult with the Voice prior to developing any policy or making any decision.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the advice was clear and unequivocal in its support for the government’s approach, criticising the Opposition was “just determined to play politics with this”.
