Indigenous activist Noel Pearson activist calls on Qld to be at forefront of Voice debate

Indigenous activist Noel Pearson says he doesn’t want Queensland to be the only state that falls short of supporting the Voice in the looming referendum, saying the Sunshine State should be at the “forefront”.

Indigenous activist Noel Pearson says he doesn’t want Queensland to be the only state that falls short of supporting the Voice in the looming referendum.

And the Cape York leader has also declared that the Sunshine State should be at the “forefront” of the referendum, which is due before the end of the year.

Mr Pearson spoke as part of a panel at the Queensland parliament on Tuesday night that had been arranged by a bipartisan group of MPs.

He said he was very confident five of the six Australian states would vote in favour of the referendum, saying he would not like his home state to be the exception.

“We’ve got five of the six states,” Mr Pearson said.

“This is the state. Our state. The state of Eddie Mabo.

“This is the state that really has to be at the forefront of the referendum and we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be the one state that doesn’t cross the line.

“I really want the government and the opposition to really think seriously about how we can make Queenslanders vote for the right thing in October.”

Indigenous activist Noel Pearson says the Sunshine State should be at the “forefront” of the Voice referendum. Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

A poll recently conducted for The Australian showed Queensland was the only state without a majority of support – with 49 per cent signalling they would vote in favour while 43 per cent said no.

In order for the referendum to be successful and for changes to be made to the constitution, a majority of voters in a majority of states must vote in favour of the proposed reforms.

Mr Pearson also used his time on the panel, organised by the bipartisan Parliamentary Friends of First Nations People, to urge the state opposition to “not lose the opportunity”.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli last week said he was yet to make up his mind on how he would vote on the referendum. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has declared her support for the Voice.

State government Minister Leeanne Enoch, who is a member of the Parliamentary Friends of First Nations People, said the group was “engaging in conversations about what is a nation defining moment in our history”.

The LNP’s Rob Molhoek and independent MP Sandy Bolton are also part of the bipartisan group.

The gathering was attended by a range of state MPs on all sides of the political divide.

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Nationals Leader David Littleproud have both declared they will not vote yes in the referendum.