Australian indigenous leader Prof. Marcia Langton has denied calling "No" voters of the Voice to Parliament referendum "racist and stupid" after media reports about her remarks triggered a dispute in federal parliament over the October 14 vote.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Langton, a staunch promoter of the "Yes" vote after the previous government named her to a peak group that advised on its design, stated she was seeking legal advice on reports claiming she made the sweeping statement about Australian voters who disagree with allowing indigenous Australians to have their say about issues that matter to them on the national level after a recording of her remarks indicated she was criticizing the No campaign rather than the targets of its message.
Word War in Parliament
The highly animated exchange of words happened after the government in Canberra accused Australian Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of spreading what they called "disinformation" on the Indigenous Voice and misquoting ministers on the power of parliament, with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus calling him the "leader" of such a campaign.
Dutton retorted by claiming that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would "divide our country right down the middle" come the day the vote would be cast.
Langton made her criticisms at a public forum in the West Australian town of Bunbury when she rejected claims the Voice would lead to reparations.
Soon after, the federal opposition led by the Liberal Party of Australia cited her remarks at the opening of Tuesday's (September 12) question time to demand that Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney condemn comments reported in several news outlets, particularly the Bunbury Herald and The Australian.
Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley cited the reports and told the chamber that Langton had "accused No voters of opposing the referendum because of...'base racism or sheer stupidity'."
However, the Bunbury Herald said the indigenous leader and Order of Australia recipient was speaking about the "No case" and its message to voters.
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Quoted and Misquoted
While the conservative campaign group Advance Australia spread the remarks by Langton to attack the Yes side, Langton stressed she did not accuse No voters of racism.
"I'm saying the claims being made by the No case are based in racism and stupidity - and appeal to racism and stupidity," she told the Herald. "And they are appealing to Australians to frighten them into adopting highly racist and stupid beliefs."
Video and audio of her remarks also made it clear Langton was speaking about campaigners rather than voters.
Langton responded to the claims made in parliament by saying her remarks in Bunbury came after a listener at the forum asked if all Aboriginal people would get compensation if the Yes vote succeeded. Her answer to this was that the concept was untrue and that indigenous people could only get compensation if a court ruled they had a fair claim, similar to every Australian regardless of background.
"The media reporting is a very deliberate tactic to make me look like a racist when I'm not," Langton added. "I am not a racist, and I don't believe that the majority of Australians are racist. I do believe that the No campaigners are using racist tactics."
