THE SQUIZ

Indigenous leader Yunupingu died yesterday, aged 74yo. A giant in the fight for Indigenous rights, Yunupingu has been remembered by PM Anthony Albanese as “a leader, a statesman, a great Yolngu man and a great Australian.” Coalition leader Peter Dutton also remembered him as “one of our greatest Australians,” and Indigenous academic Marcia Langton described him as “the greatest leader this country has ever known.” A Gumatj clan leader and Yolgnu lore man, Yunupingu died surrounded by family in his home of Gunyangara, on Arnhem Land.

WHO WAS YUNUPINGU?

He became the first chairman of the powerful Northern Land Council in the 1970s, and was named Australian of the Year in 1978. In 1988, Yunupingu presented PM Bob Hawke with the Barunga Statement, which called for a treaty between Indigenous people and the Commonwealth. It still hangs in Parliament House in Canberra today. Yunupingu also guided and inspired the work of his brother’s band Yothu Yindi, and in recent years, he chaired the influential Garma Festival. That’s where Albanese made his promise to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament into our constitution last year. Yesterday, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney dedicated a future successful Voice referendum to Yunupingu, saying “his presence, his very being, will stay with us as we go forward.” And in his address to the National Press Club, Coalition spokesman Julian Leeser called him “a man of strength, conviction and determination – a true moral voice in our country.”

WHAT’S THE LATEST WITH THE VOICE?

Leeser was at the National Press Club to give an update on the Liberal Party’s approach to the referendum, in advance of a party room meeting on Wednesday to disuss the party’s position. Leeser attacked PM Albanese for a “top down” approach and said he’s “abandoned the process and the spirit of partnership.” A longtime Voice supporter, Lesser said he’s worried about the proposed 2nd clause – that it “may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”. He says it should be scrapped because it poses “the greatest risk of judicial interpretation” – aka the High Court being called in every 5 seconds to manage the government’s decisionmaking process. In response, Albanese said “I would urge people like Julian Leeser, who has a history of genuine support for reconciliation … to not just vote yes, but campaign for yes in the referendum”.