‘Furphy’: Noel Pearson dismisses calls to delay voice poll

Prominent Yes campaigner Noel Pearson has dismissed calls to delay the poll date of the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum as a furphy and a distraction.

Noel Pearson at North Bondi on Sunda. Picture: Nikki Short

Prominent Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has dismissed calls to delay the date of the constitutional referendum on the proposed Indigenous voice to parliament as he urged voters to rise above allegiances to the major political parties when they cast their vote in the looming poll.

On the promenade of Bondi Beach on Sunday Mr Pearson was mobbed by Yes supporters, including Wentworth MP Allegra Spender and North Shore MP ­Felicity Wilson.

Wearing a Yes campaign shirt and a black fedora, he descended on the sand followed by the crowd, largely dressed in different shades of blue, to take a group photograph under the bright winter sun.

Noel Pearson features in a group photograph at North Bondi on Sunday. Picture: Nikki Short

Mr Pearson, who rose to prominence as an advocate for Indigenous land rights, said calls to delay the referendum were a furphy and cited the Constitution’s rules around referendums, which stipulate a national vote must take place between two and six months after legislation passes parliament.

“It’s just a furphy, it’s just a distraction for people to talk about delaying the referendum date,” he said.

“Our Constitution says once you get it out of the hands of the politicians, you’ve got to have the referendum no later than six months and no earlier than two months from that date.

“So that means in October-­November it will be the last opportunity to have the referendum and I’m sure the government will ­announce one of those weekends.”

Liberal MP Andrew Bragg, who backs the voice, has called for the vote to be delayed to allow the Yes side to recalibrate and build bipartisan support for the referendum after polling revealed ­declining support amid voter confusion.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and voice co-architect Tom Calma have previously ruled out delaying the referendum vote.

Mr Pearson said on Sunday that the Yes camp had ironed out the kinks in the campaign, drawing an analogy with nailing the line and length in cricket.

“Obviously it takes a while to get your line and length right,” he said.

Noel Pearson hands out Yes campaign pamphlets with Allegra Spender, Alex Greenwich and Felicity Wilson in North Bondi on Sunday. Picture: Nikki Short

“Our messages are very clear now about the opportunity that recognition represents for the country and you know at the end of the day the old cliche is completely correct.

“The only poll that counts is the poll on referendum day.”

The campaigner said there was growing support among voters in Liberal-held seats in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast region to northern Sydney and the eastern suburbs but stressed the voice ­referendum was not a federal ­election.

“This is a referendum about ­altering our Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia and we can do that,” he said.

“Liberals can do that and a ­National Party voter can do that. A Greens voter can do that and a Labor voter can do that.

“This is not about party affiliation this is about the country; we have to put our country first at this referendum and say to ourselves, yeah I don’t like that political party.”

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is opposing the proposed voice to parliament, which has the support of Labor, the Greens, some Liberal politicians and the teal independents.