Nathan Cleary declares his support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament

Rugby league superstar Nathan Cleary has revealed where he stands on the Voice to parliament referendum.

Rugby league superstar Nathan Cleary will vote Yes to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

The Penrith Panthers icon revealed his support for the Voice, which would embed a permanent Indigenous-led advisory body into the Australian Constitution, after his heart-stopping performance in Sunday’s NRL grand final, where he led the Panthers to victory against the Brisbane Broncos in a 26-24 thriller.

Wearing a We Support the Uluru Statement T-shirt, Cleary declared: “No Voice means no choice. C’mon, Australia, vote Yes.”

It’s a Yes from @_nathancleary pic.twitter.com/emHieyGVMn

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 2, 2023

The short statement, posted to the TikTok channel of Indigenous leader Roy Ah-See, was quickly picked up by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who tweeted out: “It’s a Yes from @_nathancleary.”

The TikTok has already racked up more than 24,000 views.

Cleary’s support could boost the Yes vote in the final two weeks of the referendum campaign, with Australians set to vote on the proposal on October 14.

An advertising blitz from the Yes and No camps will wash over the country in the coming days as both sides race furiously to lock in votes in the final stretch of the campaign.

Early voting in the referendum begins on Monday in the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australian and on Tuesday in the ACT, NSW, Queensland and South Australia.

Mr Cleary’s Yes vote follows the NRL’s official statement of support for the Voice in May.

Nathan Cleary supports the Yes campaign. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

“True change comes through listening, learning and taking action and we encourage everyone in the rugby league community to get informed by the facts, and use their voice, so that we can move forward together,” the code’s management said.

Other NRL titans who have also come out for Yes include North Queensland Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston and South Sydney Rabbitohs hero Greg Inglis.

All of Australia’s major sporting bodies are backing the Voice, including the AFL Commission, Rugby Australia, Football Australia and Cricket Australia.

Cleary, 25, was born in Sydney and debuted with the Panthers in 2016.