The former foreign affairs minister and Deputy Liberal leader, Julie Bishop, has called for Australians to support the Indigenous voice referendum, warning that existing policies aren’t working to close the gap.
Bishop, who was deputy leader of the Liberal party for 11 years, said many Indigenous people she respected greatly “have put a lot of thought into this and they believe that it is a step in the right direction”. In an address to the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, Bishop said: “So personally, my message to anyone who wants to listen to what I have to say is that I believe that it is a step in the right direction.