Australians uninterested in Voice and its outcomes, as Yes and No campaigners make final pitch to voters
A lack of interest in the Voice to parliament has stifled campaign efforts, new research shows. With just one day to the referendum, read the final pitch from Yes and No leaders.
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A lack of interest in the Voice to parliament has stifled campaign efforts with new research showing the referendum ranks well behind cost-of-living, health, employment and education as an “important issue” for Australians.
As support for the Voice consistently declined in public polls, the issue of enshrining an Indigenous advisory body in the nation’s constitution ranked only 17th out of 20 issues considered important to voters, according to a mood of the nation survey conducted for News Corp by GIC.
About 45 per cent of people intended to vote No, 38 per cent Yes and 17 per cent unsure according to the research based on interviews with 1,283 Australians between September 15 to 22.
Yes voters are motivated by a desire to “do the right thing,” with one in four saying the support for the proposal from a majority of First Nations’ people had influenced them.
While No supporters are more likely to take issues with the “details and impact” of the proposal, with one in six calling out the Voice as “unnecessary”.
A major factor in why Australians reported changing their minds over recent months as support for the Voice declined was seeing some Indigenous people opposing the referendum, with voters saying they were confused about who to listen to.
Voters will make their final decision on October 14, with research suggesting one in ten Australians are open to changing their mind as one in four said they were “not confident” in the way they were leaning.
Corporate endorsements of the Voice from brands like Qantas, Woolworths and Telstra have turned voters off the referendum, with one in four Australians revealing if an individual or brand publicly supported a Yes or No stance they would be “less likely to use or engage with it”.
The big companies have been deemed out of touch with the views of Australians, with two in three believing they should not take a side in the Voice debate.
One in six people said they were unsure how they would vote, with undecided voters skewing toward demographics that had a Yes lean, including females, under 35s and multicultural Australians.
No voters were stronger in their conviction than Yes supporters.
Prominent Yes supporters will campaign across the country on the final day before polling, with Yes23 co-chair Rachel Perkins saying the response on the ground at early voting had been “really positive” so far.
“The Voice … is not a group of people in Canberra,” she said.
“It’s community representatives from the grassroots around the country.”
No spokesman Warren Mundine campaigned in Launceston on Thursday, while Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price cast her vote in Alice Springs.
“If we want equality for Aboriginal people, we want to be self reliant, we don’t want to be reliant on government or agencies,” Ms Price said after voting.
Everything you need to know about the referendum
On Saturday Australians will decide whether to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the nation’s founding document through an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in what will be the first referendum held this century.
After months of polarising political debate and grassroots campaigning, the final choice to change Australia’s constitution will be left up to the people.
Here’s what you need to know before October 14:
What is the referendum about?
Voters will be asked to vote on the following question:
A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?
What happens if the referendum succeeds?
A new clause would be added to the Australian constitution that reads:
In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:
(i) there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;
(ii) the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
(iii) the parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.
Where do I vote?
Just like a federal election, more than 7000 polling booths in places like schools, churches, community centres and town halls will open between 6am and 8pm on Saturday.
How do I vote?
Write Yes or No clearly in English on your ballot paper. Do not use a tick or cross, a rule that has been in place for the last six Australian referendums.
Can I still vote early?
Early voting officially closes at 6pm on Friday, October 13.
What if I don’t vote?
Voting is compulsory in Australia. Any eligible citizen aged 18 years and over who does not vote will be issued a $20 fine.
When will the result be known?
The Australian Electoral Commission will start counting the votes when polls close at 6pm on October 14.
Results will be published via a virtual tally room that automatically updates every 90 seconds with electorate-by-electorate counts.
The verdict may not be known on the night, in which case the AEC will continue counting on Sunday.
How is a referendum won?
In order for a referendum to be successful, the Yes case must achieve what is known as a “double majority”.
This means that more than 50 per cent of the overall Australian population supports the question, plus a majority of people in at least four of the six states votes Yes.
The ACT and Northern Territory count in the overall vote, but are not included in the second state-by-state count.
Case for Yes: by Dean Parkin
On Saturday, all Australians will have the chance to take a historic step together. A step forward along
the path of reconciliation, to a more unified country.
A successful Yes vote will honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ over 60,000-year connection to
this land, and corrects the omission of them from our founding document.
It won’t make decisions, it won’t take your backyard, and it won’t stop you going into National Parks or
any of the other loopy conspiracy theories out there. When you block out the noise, politics and
misinformation, and read the question on the ballot paper it’s a pretty simple proposition.
We will recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the First Peoples of Australia, through
creating an advisory committee, the Voice, to advise politicians on laws that affect Indigenous
Australians. No more, no less.
If you are one of the 97 per cent of Australians who are not Indigenous, this will take nothing from you.
It is risk-free, safe change. There is only the upside that comes from living in a more inclusive Australia.
An Australia that listens Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on issues relating to their welfare.
This will be a game changer for Indigenous Australians. A Yes vote will give us both recognition of our
place is modern Australia and the practical means we need to close the gap, so that our children can live
long full lives and get a better education. We can take genuine ownership and responsibility over
outcomes in our communities.
This is what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have asked for, and they overwhelmingly support our
modest request.
A No vote gets us nowhere. It keeps us stuck in the same cycles of entrenched disadvantage, poorly
designed policies and wasted taxpayer funds. There is no alternative step forward.
Your Yes vote will simply mean that we are listened to and will ensure a better future for all Australians.
Case for No: by Warren Mundine
This Referendum has been a David and Goliath battle.
The No campaign was driven by thousands of regular, grassroots Australians up against powerful and influential people, organisations and celebrities funded with vast donations from corporates and their shareholders’ money.
We believe all Australians should be equal under our constitution as they have been since the 1967 referendum. We don’t want division in our Constitution. Especially with a new constitutional body we know nothing about and that will have a permanent right to make political representations to government.
The Voice is based on a lie that Indigenous Australians have no Voice when, in fact, hundreds of Indigenous organisations are immersed in policymaking.
It’s based on a lie that Indigenous Australians overwhelmingly support a constitutional Voice when, in fact, we’re also divided over this proposal.
The Voice is based on a lie that Indigenous Australians are destined for permanent disadvantage and therefore need a permanent constitutional body to address it.
The Yes campaign want us to believe the Voice is a magical wand that will solve all problems if only we just let it. But even they know that’s not true.
I have travelled across Australia speaking with supporters and opponents of the Voice, and undecided voters. All want to see better lives for Indigenous Australians who are struggling. All want to see change.
So regardless of the outcome of the Referendum, I want all sides to unite to harness this goodwill. And regardless of the outcome, I believe there’s only one way to improve the lives of marginalised Indigenous Australians.
That is a plan centred on accountability, education, economic participation and social change.
That’s the future we can fight for once the campaign is over.
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Originally published as Australians uninterested in Voice and its outcomes, as Yes and No campaigners make final pitch to voters
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