Senior Australian of the year Tom Calma ‘disappointed’ at Lidia Thorpe’s intentions to oppose voice

Co-chair of Indigenous voice to parliament co-design group says proposed body is ‘first step’ to First Nations contributions to policymaking

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The newly minted senior Australian of the year and co-chair of the Indigenous voice co-design group, Tom Calma, says he feels “a bit offended” by Greens senator Lidia Thorpe’s decision to telegraph opposition to the advisory body.

Calma told the ABC on Thursday establishing the voice to parliament was a critical step in maintaining progress on a range of fronts, so he was “disappointed” Thorpe had signalled that she would oppose the reform unless Labor provided “guarantees” that First Nations sovereignty would not be not ceded.

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