One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson has given a blistering assessment of Liberal leader Peter Dutton regarding his inability to declare his party’s position on the proposed indigenous ‘voice to Parliament’.

“The man I once admired for his values and his strong, dogged approach is withering on the vine,” Senator Hanson said.

“I thought Peter Dutton might have been a brilliant Prime Minister but for more than 150 days since he took the top job as Opposition leader, Australians have hardly heard boo from him and conservatives have no idea where he stands on such a serious and consequential issue like the proposed voice.”

Senator Hanson slammed the Liberals’ shadow minister for indigenous Australians as weak and said Mr Dutton made the wrong choice.

“Julian Leeser is a pathetic choice and should be immediately replaced by Northern Territory senator Jacinta Price,” she said.

“Senator Price is the glaring and obvious person for this important role overseeing the welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The lived experience of a Northern Territory Aboriginal woman far outweighs that of a Hawkesbury River senior executive at the Australian Catholic University and the Menzies Research Centre.

“Peter Dutton is showing all the signs of a Liberal leader who supports the proposed voice by keeping Julian Leeser in the indigenous affairs portfolio.”

Senator Hanson said she spoke for many Australians in wanting a clear understanding of where the Liberal Party stood on the voice.

“Senator Price is the only person in the Coalition prepared to offer a conservatives a clear, articulate and credible voice for the NO campaign against this dangerous proposal to change the Australian Constitution,” she said. “It would in no way be a tokenistic appointment; Jacinta is the clear choice which Peter Dutton should have made from the start.

“Peter Dutton needs to get some mongrel about him and start attacking Labor for the continued lies and motherhood statements from a Prime Minister who is doing little to nothing to help Australian families struggling with the rising costs of living.

“If his own party room won’t give Peter Dutton honest and constructive feedback on his approach to leading the Opposition, I will.

“Grow a set, Peter, or you will amount to another faded memory of a Liberal leader who had their chance to perform and make a difference for all Australians…but didn’t.”