Nationals WA to decide party stance on Voice at weekend conference after Merome Beard backs No campaign

Nationals MP Merome Beard has broken ranks, announcing her intention to vote No in the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum, while the party has flagged a potential backflip at this weekend’s State conference. The North West Central MP is approaching the end of her first year in Parliament, and Ms Beard said she was “once bitten, twice shy” in the rubble of the Cook Government’s decision to recall Aboriginal cultural heritage laws. “The devil will be in the detail and I don’t have enough detail to convince me that the Voice will make the changes we need to improve both accountability and a willingness for governments to better use the many levers that already exist to improve the lives of the most vulnerable people,” the MP and Carnarvon publican said. Ms Beard’s comments place her at odds with the WA Nationals, which have adopted a formal position in support of the Voice. However, Opposition Leader Shane Love has opened the door to his party backflipping on that stance when it meets for State conference on Saturday. Nationals WA leader Shane Love said on Wednesday the party had a “diversity of views”, but the official stance would be decided at the weekend’s conference. He identified the heritage laws and Voice to be two separate issues, but said “there’s no doubt that the way that Government has mishandled the Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation has caused concern for the community and probably affected the likelihood of a yes vote for the Voice.” Although the referendum is an individual vote, the Nationals are seeking to come to a united position, but Mr Love said the party “will never seek to impose that view on its members”. “It’s very clear from a motion that will be also considered at the conference that all members, including members of Parliament will have the right to express their own views in our democracy,” he said. The official date for the referendum will be announced next week in Adelaide, but it’s expected to be October 14.