Indigenous voice: Opposition leader Peter Dutton attends key meeting to learn details on referendum

Opposition leader Peter Dutton will dial into a meeting with the government’s referendum advisory group this week, which was welcomed by supporters of the indigenous voice.

It comes as the Liberal party hall continues to debate its position on the vote, after Mr Dutton previously said he was “open” to supporting the vote but insisted “more details” are needed from the Albanian government.

However, the Liberal leader will not be able to attend the Canberra meeting in person as he will be present at Cardinal George Pell’s funeral in Sydney.

A spokesman for Mr Dutton’s office confirmed that he planned to attend Thursday’s meeting via conference call.

“Mr Dutton, like millions of Australians, has said all along that he would like more information about the voice and answers to sensible questions,” the spokesman said. “He is attending via telepresence because he will be in Sydney to attend George Pell’s funeral.”

The Government’s Referendum Working Group is made up of Indigenous leaders from across the country, including former Liberal MP Ken Wyatt.

Torres Strait Islander author Thomas Mayor, who is a member of the advisory group, told The West Australian that he found it positive that Mr Dutton would dial in for the meeting.

“It is a welcome thing to have this discussion with him, there is still hope among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders that the Liberal Party will decide to support the referendum,” Mr Mayor said.

Mr Mayor said he wanted to show Mr Dutton “how important” voice is to Indigenous communities and that it leads to better “practical outcomes” and is “urgently needed to bridge the gap”.