ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee has stopped short of expressing support for the Voice to Parliament, putting her out of step with other state Liberal leaders.
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Chief Minister Andrew Barr said it was remarkable Ms Lee had not indicated her support for the proposal, due to be decided by a referendum this year.
Ms Lee said she was open minded to any policy put forward that would improve outcomes for Indigenous communities "especially in the ACT where we have seen the devastating impacts of poor outcomes for our Indigenous Canberrans under decades of Labor and the Greens".
"I will continue to have discussions with stakeholders and local Indigenous leaders about the Voice and look forward to more information being provided by the federal government," Ms Lee said in a statement provided to The Canberra Times.
Liberal NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Liberal Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff have both indicated their support for the Voice.
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Every Australian state and territory leader backed the proposal at a December meeting of Indigenous affairs ministers.
"Our government supports the voice, it's very important to bring people together," Mr Perrottet said last week.
"We need to be one united country and we don't need division, we need unity."
Mr Barr said it Ms Lee's statement showed the Canberra Liberals' conservative majority was once again "flexing its muscles".
"I hope this will not harm our efforts for the highest 'yes' vote in the country to be returned in the ACT," Mr Barr said, pointing to Senior Australian of the Year Professor Tom Calma's view that bipartisanship was crucial to improving the lives of Indigenous people an amending the constitution.
Representatives of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy said last week it would urge people to vote no in the Voice referendum.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
