Albo hits back at claims he ‘botched’ Voice campaign

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he hasn’t “botched” the campaign for the Voice and that he believes the referendum will pass.

Anthony Albanese has hit back at claims he has “botched” the campaign for the Voice.

Instead he blamed “misinformation” for confusing voters and predicted voters would bring home the Yes vote in the end.

Speaking on Perth radio, the Prime Minister confirmed he would reveal the worst kept secret in Australian politics on Wednesday: the date of the referendum which is widely expected to be October 14.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hit back at claims he’s “botched” the campaign for the Voice. Picture: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

He also drew a link between the same sex marriage debate and the Voice, arguing that naysayers had also suggested the sky would fall if same sex couples could marry but “it didn’t.”

It follows the leak of the Yes campaigns secret wargame document outlining how Mr Albanese needs to convince at least 1.7 million undecided voters for the Voice referendum to win.

Women, young people, multicultural communities and soft voters are the key to victory according to the document obtained by The Australian.

Hundreds of supporters participate in the Long Walk from Melbourne to Canberra to support the Yes campaign for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through a Voice. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

The 31-page Yes23 Persuasive Conversations document reveals volunteers are being urged to “name the villain, or unfair barrier, including who or what is harming us and why – pick a villain that most people dislike or distrust”.

“Young people are key. The largest age segment up for grabs are 18-34-year-olds. So are women … 54 per cent of (those) up for grabs are female,” the document states.

But current opinion polls suggest that Mr Albanese is losing ground and may end up defeated on the question at the ballot box in October.

“I’m going to be really honest with you. it feels like a bit of a botched campaign,’’ Triple M’s Michelle Anderson said to the Prime Minister on Monday.

“We want to do the right thing but also the Indigenous community themselves are split, some of them want to vote yes, some of them … they are split.”

Mr Albanese suggested the majority of first nations people backed the Yes vote.

“Indigenous Australians have come up with this idea themselves. They want constitutional recognition,’’ Mr Albanese said.

“That’s the first thing that it’s about. And the second thing it’s about is really simple to just an advisory group so that people can listen to what Indigenous people have to say about programs that affect their lives. That is all this is about so as to get better results. And there is a lot of misinformation out there.”

Mr Albanese said it would be “tragic” if Australia lost the opportunity.

“Remember with the apology The Stolen Generations? No, we can’t apologise because there’ll be all these consequences. There weren’t,’’ Mr Albanese said.

“Marriage equality? We couldn’t have marriage equality because it would ruin straight marriages and it would change everyone’s lives. It didn’t. This is about just giving a bit of respect to what is 3 per cent of the population so upside for them, with no downside for anyone else.”

Mr Albanese was then asked if that’s the case, “why can’t we just do it?.”

“Because to change the constitution, Australians have to vote for it,’’ he said.

“And every other former colony in the world has done it. Canada did it last century. New Zealand did in the 19th century. Everyone has done it except for Australia.

“One of the things that I say is ‘If not now, when? Like when are we going to get around to acknowledging that when Captain Cook came in in 1770 and when Captain Phillip came in in 1788 in the First Fleet in the Sydney Harbour, that wasn’t when Australia began, we have at least 60,000 years of history that we can be really proud of, and we do celebrate Indigenous Australians.

“And that’s why it’s important that we do take this opportunity, I suppose that’s the importance of education as well right, we were all educated on a white man’s story.”

Mr Albanese also told another Perth radio station that the date of the referendum - expected to be October 14 - will be announced this week.

“It obviously is imminent. It’ll be after the footy finals are over And before the wet season in the north, so that’s a limited window.

“I think when people focus on what the question is, as opposed to all the noise that’s out there, they’ll focus and they’ll vote yes.