Peter Dutton’s says until Anthony Albanese can explain what the Voice is, ‘it should not proceed’

As support for the Voice plummets, Anthony Albanese has been accused by Peter Dutton of hiding key details of the referendum, as the Opposition Leader called on Gold Coast voters to “send a message”.

Australians will not back the Voice if the Prime Minister keeps “yelling” at them, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said, warning “Australians would not vote for something they did not understand”.

He also urged Gold Coast voters to “send a message” to the Prime Minister against the Voice at the Fadden by-election, seizing on the momentum from the No campaign.

As support for the Yes case drops and polling puts the No vote ahead for the first time, Anthony Albanese conceded there was more work to be done to explain the Voice to Australians.

He also confirmed that the Labor Party would mobilise its resources to support the Yes campaign.

Mr Dutton said the Australian public was not ready for the Voice because they would not vote for something they did not understand.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

“I don’t think there’s any wonder that people want to a better outcome for Indigenous Australians, but why won’t the Prime Minister explain it to me and why is the Prime Minister yelling at me that I’m not smart enough to understand it, or that I’m racist because I don’t support the Voice,” Mr Dutton said.

“That’s a nonsense approach.

“There are many big-hearted Australians who want a better outcome for Indigenous Australians at the moment, but they are really looking at the detail and wondering why the Prime Minister is keeping that detail from them.

“Until the Prime Minister can explain properly what the Voice is, it should not proceed.”

Mr Albanese played down the plunging support for the Yes campaign.

He said there was plenty of time to make the case, with a date yet to be set for the vote, though it is widely tipped to be in October.

“The ballot is not this Saturday,” he said.

“We have got to explain what it is about, we will continue to do so.

“We will continue to govern across the whole range of portfolios, but at the same time, there hasn’t been a referendum held at any time this century and we will continue to put our case.

“The single one-word slogans will certainly be there.

“But what we need to do is to make it clear and encourage people to look at what the words are that are being put forward, the very simple proposition.”

A Newspoll published in The Australian on Monday showed the Yes vote had fallen to 43 per cent, while the No vote had risen to 47 per cent.

Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania were all leaning towards a majority No vote.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

A referendum needs a majority of the nation and a majority of the states to succeed.

Urging Gold Coasters to “send a message” to the Prime Minister against the Voice at the Fadden by-election, Tuesday was the first time Mr Dutton has conflated the two issues, in a move that will be seen as a bid to boost support for the LNP in the July 15 poll.

It came ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the Gold Coast Tuesday afternoon to launch the Labor candidate’s campaign.

Mr Dutton said Mr Albanese was “obsessed” with the Voice and “taking his eye off the ball” on the economy.

“It’s an opportunity to send the government a message in relation to cost of living, that you’re not happy with the policies that they’ve presided over. And also the Voice,” Mr Dutton said at a Perth press conference.

“I think there will be a lot of people in Fadden who want to send the Prime Minister a very clear message that they’re not happy with his Canberra Voice proposal.

“And they’re not happy that he’s continuing to keep details from the Australians in relation to how the Voice will operate.”

He also said Mr Albanese should “call out” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk over the youth crime issue, which he said was particularly being felt on the Gold Coast.

“She has presided over a situation where cars are being stolen, houses are being broken into and this crime situation, that is of Labor's making,” Mr Dutton said.

Mr Albanese on Monday said he would not be distracted from cost-of-living pressures while campaigning on the voice.

“If you look at the questions ministers got asked in parliament from government members last week, they were about education, they were about housing, they were about health, they were about cost of living, they were about all of those things,” he said.

“We will continue to govern across the whole range of portfolios, but at the same time, there hasn’t been a referendum held at any time this century, and we will continue to put our case.”

The Coalition is expected to win the Fadden by-election, which has only been held once by Labor for a year in 1984.

After a blow to his leadership in the Aston by-election, which was the first time a federal government won a by-election in about 100 years, the size and direction of the swing in Fadden will have ramifications for the Opposition Leader.

Polling on the Voice has shown momentum moving away from the Yes campaign and toward the No campaign.

Mr Dutton has indicated he will campaign for the No campaign, while the Labor party is mobilising its resources for the Yes campaign.