Palaszczuk palms Queensland’s lagging support for Voice back to PM

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has cited a lack of information from the Albanese government as the reason for lagging support for the Indigenous Voice to federal parliament in her state.

While polling suggests majority public support for the constitutional change set to be voted on in a referendum this year, support has slipped in Queensland – home to both the federal Coalition leaders now opposing it.

“I’ll be talking to the prime minister about how they can put [out] clear information,” Annastacia Palaszczuk says.Credit: Matt Dennien

The most recent survey, a Newspoll published on Wednesday by The Australian, suggested Queensland was the only state where support had dipped below 50 per cent – still not enough to undermine the majority of voters in a majority of states needed for success.

Asked by reporters about the slide, Palaszczuk sought to place responsibility back on Canberra, saying she thought people were “looking for more information”.

“I think once we get more information from the federal government, the federal government needs to really be a lot more proactive then – as well as First Nations people – in terms of, you know, explaining what it means,” she said.

“I think people are after the detail, and I can understand, there would be some hesitancy ... so I’ll be I’ll be talking to the prime minister about how they can put [out] clear information.”

Palaszczuk’s Labor state government has given vocal support to the proposal, using its parliamentary numbers to push a motion through last year without any formally recorded vote – or position either way – from the LNP opposition.

The federal government last week introduced legislation related to the Voice referendum to parliament, with the committee examining it expected to report back next month.

A detailed report produced for the previous federal government on how the body would operate was released publicly nearly two years ago.

Professor Marcia Langton, the report’s co-author and a member of the Voice working group, has urged the government to formally endorse the document to “reassure” the public amid “scare campaigns” by opponents questioning the detail.

The federal Nationals Party under Queensland-based leader David Littleproud revealed its opposition to the proposal last year.

The Liberal Party, led by fellow Queenslander Peter Dutton, announced on Wednesday it would also oppose the government’s model.

Both Coalition parties have singled out “detail” in their criticism.

Polling has also suggested the public would like more information than it had available.

Asked on Wednesday whether her government needed to lift its game helping the public understand the Voice proposal, Palaszczuk said she “think[s] we’ll get to that stage”.

“I think the federal government needs to really step up into that space and explain it – and I’m quite sure that’s going to be coming,” she said.

Palaszczuk said her government had instead been focused on its Path to Treaty process, which has ramped up this year with early legislation and public hearings across the state.