Australians outraged by text encouraging them to vote No in the Voice referendum
Text messages claiming to be from Senator Jacinta Price have been sent out to Aussies weeks out from the referendum – and people aren’t happy.
Aussies are outraged after receiving unsolicited text messages reportedly from Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price encouraging them to vote No in the upcoming referendum.
The text message, which appeared on phones this week, describes the Indigenous Voice to parliament as “risky” and “divisive”, before prompting voters to visit a Liberal Party website to apply for a postal vote.
“Hi, it’s Jacinta Price,” the text message seemingly sent from the No campaigner and Northern Territory Senator begins.
“The Referendum is on 14 Oct. This Voice is risky, unknown and divisive. Don’t know? Say no. For a postal vote go to https://postal.vote”
A number of people who received the text have blasted the “dodgy” and “unwanted” messaging on social media, questioning how and why their phone numbers were included in the mass text.
“This person doesn’t respect my Voice as I was not able to tell her what I think. I wonder who is paying for all these No messages. Very dodgy. Yes!!!” one person wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“I’m angry and want to complain but how and to whom?” said another.
“Hope this doesn’t mean I’ll be spammed for the next few weeks. Pisses me right off,” another commented, while someone said they blocked the number “immediately”.
Whose paying for these? pic.twitter.com/GRREH3dRzD
— Sarah Macdonald (@sarahvmac) September 12, 2023
Just got this! I know replying is useless but honestly!!!! pic.twitter.com/oF2W7jBnDE
— Jane Caro (@JaneCaro) September 12, 2023
Author and social commentator Jane Caro also shared a screenshot of the text she received yesterday, including her reply, which she recognised would be “useless”
“I will be voting Yes and you should be too,” she responded.
Calling out the No camp’s campaign tactics, the Uluru Dialogue’s strategic adviser Kirstie Parker said the messaging in the text is simply not true.
“The Voice is not risky. We’ve had advice from all quarters of the Australian community, legal experts and others that are saying that this would not be a threat to Australian democracy, but a boost to it,” Ms Parker told news.com.au.
“And in terms of it being divisive, that is patently untrue. This is probably the first opportunity that we will have in our lifetimes, to build a united Australia, for us all to come together.”
Ms Parker also took issue with the fact the text message encourages Australians who “don’t know” enough about the Voice to vote no.
“I think is absolutely remarkable, especially for a Member of parliament, to encourage Australians – if they are ignorant about such things – to remain ignorant about the information,” she said.
“That’s what we [the Uluru Dialogue] want to bring to this discussion. We want to talk to [Australians] about the benefits of a First Nations Voice, how it is modest, but extraordinarily powerful for a united Australia in a way that we are not hearing from the No camp.
“The No camp, frankly, is about no ideas, no solutions, no change, and a complete adherence to the status quo.”
Ms Parker said she’s not surprised people are complaining about receiving the text messages given the “negativity” people are being fed from the No camp, adding she hopes she doesn’t receive one herself
“I can tell you, it’ll be deleted, quick, smart.”
A spokesperson from Yes 23 also condemned the No campaign for “running a faceless campaign on the ground, focused on promoting fear and misinformation”.
“We are running a people-powered campaign focused on having genuine face-to-face conversations with Australians through our 37,000 volunteers,” they said in a statement to news.com.au.
The text messages come as the Albanese government accused the No campaign for “promoting fear” after an online training session run by No activist group Advance was leaked to Nine Newspapers.
According to the tape, volunteers are told to not identify themselves as No campaigners while conducting phone calls, and raise false reports of compensation being paid to Indigenous Australians should a Yes vote get up.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the No campaign’s tactics “a deliberate strategy of promoting fear, fear over fact”.
“The No campaigners are out there saying this: ‘When reason and emotion collide, emotion always wins’, that’s one of the quotes that are there,” he said, making reference to the article.
“There they are, telling their campaigners to promote fear rather than hope. Promote division rather than unity. Promote the entrenching of values rather than the better future. Promote ignoring rather than listening. Promote exclusion rather than recognition.”
News.com.au has reached out to Jacinta Price’s office for comment.
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