Opposition Leader Peter Dutton pushed to have the referendum question recast.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Dutton made his claim on the Nine Network on Monday morning when questioned about his proposal for a second referendum on constitutional recognition if Australians vote No to the Voice and constitutional recognition on October 14.
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“The PM can change the question for October 14. If he asked people;‘do you support constitutional recognition?’,I think there would be 70 or 80 per cent support for that. There would be a unifying moment for our nation,” Dutton said.
But the exact wording of the question was decided in the law to set up the referendum,passed by parliament on June 19,and sets a timetable that leaves no scope to change the question unless parliament amends the law and sets a later date for a different referendum.
University of Sydney law professor Anne Twomey said the first problem with Dutton’s claim was that parliament would have to change the law to change the question.
“Second,you can’t ask a general question in a referendum about supporting recognition,” she said.