Indigenous voice to parliament: ‘No’ campaign merger to bolster resources

Anti-voice spokesman Warren Mundine says the newly merged strands of the No campaign bring together 37,000 volunteers and millions in donations.

Indigenous leader Warren Mundine. Picture: Philip Gostelow

Anti-voice spokesman Warren Mundine says the newly merged strands of the No campaign bring together 37,000 volunteers and millions in donations.

Mr Mundine told The Australian that while corporations and philanthropic foundations proudly announced themselves as big donors in the media, organisations and individuals who donated to the No case were reluctant to be named because of the pressure and outright threats.

“The Yes campaign has a lot more money than us,” he said.

“One of the main reasons we don’t talk about our donors is because of threats. Investors in my business have been threatened over my position. We will comply with all the laws on disclosure but it will come out after the referendum.”

The two No organisations campaigning against an Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government – led by Mr Mundine and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price – have merged to form the new group, Australians for Unity.

Mr Mundine talked about the merger after it emerged his organisation, Recognise a Better Way, had been granted deductible gift recipient status in Tuesday’s budget. Recognise a Better Way’s DGR application, which would ensure donations to the group above $2 are tax deductible, has been withdrawn.

The Australian understands Australians for Unity will now seek its own DGR status.

Senator Nampijinpa Price’s talks against the voice have been well attended in Western Australia. In Perth on April 26, she was the speaker at a Fair Australia free event with a capacity of 600 and it was fully subscribed within minutes of tickets being available.

Mr Mundine has focused on private briefings in his campaigning so far, addressing the branches of political parties, entrepreneurs and Collingwood Football Club.

He said the merger of the two No campaigners was “about bringing us all together under one banner and driving forward from there”.

Mr Mundine said Australians for Unity had been negotiated over the past few weeks. Both Mr Mundine and Senator Nampijinpa Price will be the new group’s official campaign spokespeople.

There will be no official launch for the group, but Mr Mundine said he had already begun meeting and working with people on the ground under the new name.

The allocation of DGR status to Recognise a Better Way would have put the group on an equal footing with the Yes group, Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, which was allocated DGR status in the October budget.

Government sources said Fair Australia, which was led by the group Advance and opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Senator Nampijinpa Price, had not completed an application to receive DGR status.