Non-Indigenous Australians will be banned from sporting venues including the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) if the voice is enshrined in the constitution, it’s been claimed.
This is false. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice would be an advisory body to federal parliament with no power to make decisions or veto laws.
The claim was made in a Facebook post (archived here) earlier this year.
The post claims that if the voice referendum is successful “we will be denied access to many areas our taxes paid to improve, sporting facilities, MCG, SCG, Allianz Stadium, Rugby League stadiums…”
It goes on to also name “the tennis centre”, Mount Macedon, bushwalking areas and beaches.
“They will want to close it to demand more money from us to access those areas,” the post adds.
The proposal to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice into the Australian Constitution will go to a referendum later this year.
As explained in previous AAP FactCheck debunks, the proposed constitutional amendment makes clear the voice would be an advisory body, able to make recommendations on matters affecting Indigenous peoples.
It would have no power to make decisions and cannot veto legislation.
Legal experts told AAP FactCheck that the parliament and executive are not even required to consider what the voice has to say.
The origin of the sporting facilities claim is unclear. However, previous checks have looked at claims relating to native title misinformation such as this debunk.
Experts told AAP FactCheck that private property is protected from native title claims.
The post makes a number of other false claims, including in the photo caption, which states: “Grampians only for Aborigines. Australians are not allowed there.”
This claim is in relation to a review of a number of rock climbing sites in the Victorian national park. Many sites were closed off to protect Indigenous heritage, although some were later reopened.
But it is false to say the Grampians is only open for Aboriginal people. The park is open to all and the restrictions relating to rock climbing sites apply to everyone equally.
The Verdict
The claim that access will be denied to sporting venues such as the MCG, SCG and Allianz Stadium if the proposed Indigenous voice is enshrined in the constitution is false.
If this year’s referendum is successful, the voice to parliament will be an advisory body with no power to make decisions or veto legislation.
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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