Business is banking on the positives of saying Yes on Indigenous voice to parliament

ANZ has become the first of the major banks to publicly disclose a donation of about $2m to the Yes campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament.

The NAB Foundation has disclosed a $200,000 donation to the Yes campaign but ANZ is the first of the big four banks to confirm support worth millions of dollars. Picture: AAP

ANZ has become the first of the major banks to publicly disclose a donation of about $2m to the Yes campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament, triggering accu­sations from the No side that banks don’t “really care about how tough people are doing”.

However, Wesfarmers chairman Michael Chaney, a director of the Yes23 campaign, declared that the thought of not supporting the October 14 referendum – which he labelled probably “the most important thing you’ll ever be voting on in your life” – was “so ridiculous”.

Pointing to 780 organisations around Australia that were backing the voice, including major sporting, faith, business and ethnic groups, Mr Chaney said they were led by an estimated 10,000 directors and committee members who “have considered both sides of the argument, and then decided ‘our organisation should stand up and be counted’.”

He said the No campaign slogan “Don’t know? Vote NO” was “the most appalling insult to the Australian people”.

ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott on Wednesday confirmed to a parliamentary committee on bank closures in regional Australia that the company – which has long been a supporter of the voice – had donated to the Yes campaign.

“That’ll be made public I ­imagine a few weeks after the referenda (sic),” Mr Elliott said in response to questions from Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan.

“It’s been publicly reported that major companies like ANZ have made donations in the region of sort of $2m and we’re ­certainly in that range.”

BHP, Rio Tinto and Wesfarmers have also kicked in $2m each to the Yes campaign, while the NAB Foundation, which “uses philanthropy, social investment and in-kind support to fund social and environmental progress in Australia”, has donated $200,000.

Senator Canavan seized on the ANZ donation to say big business was “unnecessarily dividing our country”.

“I would have hoped banks would be doing everything they could do keep interest rates down so people can keep their homes. But these kind of frivolous donations make it hard to think that banks really care about how tough people are doing,” he said.

A No campaign spokesman said ANZ was “just the latest in a long line of corporate elites and ­celebrities lining up to tell mainstream Australians how they should vote while pumping shareholders money into the campaign”.

“This is how Yes will end up with their $100m campaign – on the backs of ANZ shareholders.”

Yes23 and the Albanese government have strenuously rejected the suggestion the Yes campaign will be close to $100m.

ANZ declined to respond to the No campaign, pointing The Australian to Mr Elliott’s comments at the parliamentary committee. Mr Elliott vowed to come back to the committee explaining how much in-kind support had been given to the Yes camp.

Mining magnate Clive Palmer released an ad on Wednesday urging Australians to “keep Australia united” by voting No.

“It’s not the colour of your skin but the content of your character that matters. Don’t divide Australia with racial laws, vote No,” he says in the 15-second clip.

Yes23 said in response that Australians should be aware the No campaign was being backed by the likes of Mr Palmer, who spent more than $120m during the 2022 federal election. He managed to get just one senator elected.

Mr Chaney defended decisions by businesses to support the voice, rejecting the notion they were virtue signalling. “I’ve seen those comments and they surprise me really – businesses and companies form a very important part of our society,” he said.

“(Wesfarmers has) never seen this as a political issue. We’ve seen it as an issue of social responsibility. For a company like ours, which has been in a long journey of reconciliation, it’s an obvious thing to do. The thought of not supporting it is so ridiculous as far as we’re ­concerned.”

Peter Dutton tried to link Anthony ­Albanese to protesters who hurled abuse against No campaigners earlier this week, saying the action wasn’t surprising because the Prime Minister had “set our country up to be divided”.

Education Minister Jason Clare returned serve by suggesting a protest planned in Sydney this weekend by pro-Putin activist and YouTuber Simeon Boikov, who is living in the Russian consulate, was connected to the No campaign

The Opposition Leader and the No camp have distanced themselves from the rally, which is billed to host 5000 people. “On the Yes side you have a genuine Aussie hero in Cathy Freeman (endorsing the voice) and on the No side you’ve got ­rallies being organised inside the Russian consulate.

“That tells you everything you need to know,“ Mr Clare said.

Mr Dutton said it was an “abomination” people would be inspired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, but it was appalling protesters would call No campaigners names. “We shouldn’t be surprised because the Prime Minister has created a dynamic in Australia at the moment, pitching one Australian against the other.”

The Prime Minister urged Australians to listen to Indigenous athletes such as Ms Freeman, ­Timana Tahu, Johnathan Thurston, Michael Long, Eddie Betts and Greg Inglis, who were asking for a Yes vote.