Awareness of Indigenous issues rises but national support for voice slumps

The referendum to enshrine a constitutional Indigenous voice to parliament has suffered a fall in voter support, with new polling revealing a 6 per cent slide since last year’s federal election.

National support for the voice has slipped from 59 per cent in May to 53 per cent.

The referendum to enshrine a constitutional Indigenous voice to parliament has suffered a fall in voter support, with new polling revealing a 6 per cent slide since last year’s federal election.

National support for the voice has slipped from 59 per cent in May to 53 per cent, fuelled by soft support in the key states of Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia.

An SEC-Newgate Research poll of almost 1500 voters conducted from February 1-6 found that while opposition to the voice remains low, it has risen from 16 to 22 per cent in nine months.

SEC-Newgate Research partner David Stolper said support has “slipped below 50 per cent approval in Western Australia and South Australia (noting smaller survey sample sizes in these states)”. “These results will concern the federal government, considering four of the six states have to be carried for the referendum to succeed,” Mr Stolper said.

The majority of Labor (65 per cent) and Greens (77 per cent) voters support the referendum compared with 32 per cent support among Coalition voters. Forty-three per cent of Coalition supporters opposed the voice.

Following violent scenes in Alice Springs, the overall prominence of Indigenous issues among national priorities has risen since November with 68 per cent of voters strongly supporting moves by the federal and Northern Territory governments to reintroduce alcohol restrictions.

Despite rising inflation, cost-of-living pressures and interest rate rises, the Albanese government enjoyed a lift in support over summer with voters backing the national energy market intervention and gas price caps. Around 47 per cent of voters said they believed the federal government is doing an excellent or good job.

Amid calls from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to unlock new gas fields and avoid shortfalls by 2027, 73 per cent of voters backed the development of new gas projects that reserved supply for domestic use. The Greens’ push to stop new fossil fuels projects was rejected by voters, with only 24 per cent supporting bans on new gas developments and 34 per cent endorsing bans on new coal projects.

Mr Stolper said there was limited community support for the Greens’ position on gas, as Australians “overwhelmingly still see gas supply as an issue that governments need to address to put downward pressure on prices”.

 

Of the almost 70 per cent of voters who rate cost-of-living pressures their top priority, grocery and energy prices topped their list of concerns, followed by rent and mortgage payments and insurance premiums.

“There are several national priorities that are up significantly this wave, and these include rental affordability (up 6 per cent since November), healthcare investment, addressing crime, strengthening welfare, addressing Aboriginal disadvantage and strengthening public services,” the Mood of the Nation survey said.

The survey said there was less pessimism about the future of the economy. “The economic outlook has become less negative since November and while 44 per cent still feel it will be worse in 12 months this is down significantly from 51 per cent last wave.

“However, this ‘good news’ is clearly disconnected from the lives of many Australians with 45 per cent predicting their standard of living will deteriorate in 2023 and only 20 per cent predicting it will improve.”