No campaign ramps up rallies, targets migrants community

No campaigner Warren Mundine says the side will ramp up its campaign with events in South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland.

Nyunggai Warren Mundine. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

No campaigner Warren Mundine says the side will ramp up its campaign against the Indigenous voice to parliament with events targeting South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland, as the anti-voice camp focuses its efforts on multicultural communities.

Mr Mundine, who is campaigning for Fair Australia, said the No side’s strategy focusing on face-to-face advocacy in communities was already producing results after latest polling shows support for the voice dipping below 50 per cent.

The prominent No campaign leader said the passage of the referendum bill through the Senate on Monday was the “starter’s gun (for the) real battle”, with the campaign already benefiting from widespread public fatigue towards the voice.

“Our strategy is working … when people talk about recognition most Australians want that to happen, they want practical outcomes and when you talk about the voice it’s a turn off, Mr Mundine said.

“The Yes campaign has dropped the word voice and they’re using words like recognition and reconciliation. The reason for that is no one knows what it is; they don’t know if it’s modest or if it’s a sleeping giant in the Constitution … we have Professor Megan Davis saying it’s everything, Noel Pearson saying it’s everything and the Prime Minister saying it’s a minor little change.”

Mr Mundine said the No campaign had to be “disciplined” as it was working with a smaller budget than the Yes side, and would primarily focus on targeted social media campaigns, political advertising as well as rallies and events, which will start in SA, WA and Queensland, before travelling to parts of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.

“Fifty per cent of Australians were born overseas (or have a parent born overseas) so they weren’t even in the country when the so-called issues were,” he said.

“We’re all equal in this country, we’ve all had the same opportunities and everything, so why should someone have something different.”

Meanwhile, Independent senator Lidia Thorpe and prominent members of the black sovereign movement supporting the “progressive No” side will convene in Canberra on Tuesday for a strategy meeting to discuss their campaign against the voice.

Senator Thorpe has become a vocal critic of the voice arguing that it doesn’t go far enough to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians and called for a treaty instead.

Euahlayi elder and co-founder of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy Michael Anderson will be among 14 Indigenous leaders to meet Senator Thorpe, along with Wiradjuri elder and activist Jenny Munro, Wiradjuri and Gomeroi activist Nioka Coe and Warlpiri elder Ned Hargraves.