Voice 2023: Labor politicians say No to pushing Yes campaign

Yes campaigners are furious that a large number of Labor MPs have failed to distribute ­pro-Voice material using their ­taxpayer-funded communications ­allowances.

Yes campaigners have ­expressed frustration at a large number of Labor MPs who have failed to distribute ­pro-Voice material using their ­taxpayer-funded communications ­allowances.

Each year all members of the House of Representatives ­receive $161,000 each — and senators get $130,000 — of taxpayer funds that can be spent on communications with their constituents.

The Yes camp had been hoping that, in a non-election year, Labor MPs would devote a large chunk of this year’s budget on distributing pro-Voice material, which it had supplied to them.

But, with just a week to go until polls close on October 14, it has become increasingly clear the material is not going to be ­distributed.

“They’ve clearly got other priorities,” a Yes campaigner said. “They have been supplied with material – I don’t know why they haven’t used it.”

ALP Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been a vocal proponent of the Yes case, but not all of his MPs have followed suit. Picture: Getty Images

The campaigner said that in contrast, the No campaign had benefited from the decision of Liberal MPs to use their ­allowance to mail out postal vote applications in Queensland, South Australia and ­Tasmania.

“When the Liberal Party postal vote applications went out, you started seeing a spike in No in the tracks,” the Yes campaigner said. “A year is a long time in marginal seat land — do you want to promote this or cost-of-living measures in the next budget?”

But a senior Labor official hit back at the Yes23 complaints, saying in many cases unsolicited Yes23 material had arrived in Labor MPs’ offices by ­courier.

He said Labor MPs were more likely to distribute pro-Voice material that had been designed by the Labor Party rather than the Yes23 case.

A No campaigner said the campaign had been monitoring the appearances of Labor MPs on the pre-poll but, with a few exceptions, they had for the most part been notable by their absence.

The failure of Labor MPs to do all they could to back the Yes case has been mirrored by frustration in the No camp at the reluctance of Liberal MPs to get involved in the campaign.

News Corp spoke to a number of Liberals in NSW this week who said it was the opinion of most internal observers that only four parliamentarians — Angus Taylor and Alex Hawke and his allies Melissa McIntosh and Hollie Hughes — were working hard to raise No vote.

In Victoria the most active Liberal No campaigners have been lower house MPs Michael Sukkar and Dan Tehan, as well as Senators James Paterson and Sarah Henderson.

A veteran NSW right faction Liberal activist said Mr Hawke’s work on the No case had helped him with his internal party difficulties by broadening his appeal to right-leaning Liberals.

“Hawke has played it well. They’re seen by the membership to have done a good job,” the source said.

In contrast, he said the Liberal Party membership was “really pissed off” at Liberal MPs who had been inactive.

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Originally published as Voice 2023: Labor politicians say No to pushing Yes campaign