Migrants ‘total shock’ at Voice push

The committee leading the ‘no’ campaign against Indigenous constitutional recognition on Monday unveiled its alternative proposal, which would acknowledge First Nations people as well as migrants under the slogan, “Recognise a Better Way”.

Businessman and former Labor Party president turned Liberal candidate Warren Mundine is leading the group alongside Country Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

The group wants a parliamentary committee on the rights of native title holders to be established as well as the “prior occupation” of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as migrants, to be recognised in a preamble to the Constitution instead of the Voice to Parliament.

On Tuesday, Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia raised concerns the proposal was nothing but a “distraction” given it was not consulted before the group announced it plan.

“We recently had a major conference, 800 delegates and organisations attended. Overwhelmingly, without dissent, there was support for the Uluru Statement and for the Voice referendum. No-one raised this other issue,” chair Carlo Cali told ABC News Breakfast.

“It’s an interesting issue, may well be one that’s worth debating and discussing but certainly hasn’t been discussed and our concern is that it’s really a distraction.

He said many migrant communities are “natural allies” to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and raised concern the ‘no’ campaign could be looking to have “communities turn on other … minorities”.

When asked why the group was offering up something migrant and refugee groups had not asked for, Mr Mundine used an analogy about his own children.

“You know my kids, they don’t ask for things and I give it to them,” he told ABC News Breakfast.

“I want to recognise every Australian and the constitution virtually does that now. In fact, anyone who says that Aboriginals aren‘t in the

constitution, they’re telling a furphy,” he said.

However, the ‘no’ spokesperson denied a failed referendum would kill off reconciliation in Australia.

“That is … just nonsense. I think that’s just a scare tactic by the ‘yes’ campaign,” adding he was committed to reconciliation.

While the ‘no’ campaign officially launched on Monday, the ‘yes’ group does not plan to formally start campaigning until late February.

The referendum is expected to be held in the second half of the year.