No side unleashes calling bonanza as Indigenous voice to parliament campaigns ramp up

The No side will launch a major cold-calling blitz surveying more than two million Australians in the coming days, as the campaigns arguing both sides of the voice referendum pick up pace.

Fair Australia spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

The no side will launch a major cold-calling blitz surveying more than two million Australians in the coming days, as the campaigns arguing both sides of the voice referendum ramps up.

The Fair Australia survey, which is claimed to be the biggest referendum survey in the nation’s history, will seek to understand the reasoning of “soft” yes and no voters and undecided voters.

Fair Australia spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price urged Australians to engage with the phone survey, which will play a recording of the senator’s voice asking voters a series of questions about the voice.

“This referendum will be decided by everyday Australians, not the media, big business, sporting codes, Hollywood celebrities or anyone else who thinks they have the right to tell you what to think”, she said.

“The Aussies I’ve been talking to about the voice say they are worried about the division and damage it would cause.”

The cold calling campaign comes after Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney outlined the voice’s four key priority areas of health, education, housing and jobs at a major address to the National Press Club on Wednesday.

Senator Price hit back at the speech — in which Ms Burney accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of using “bullyboy tactics” — saying that the “arrogant attack on ordinary Australians who are voting No just proves this referendum is about division”.

“They’ve heard Voice architect Thomas Mayo say very clearly that the Voice is the ‘first step’ to ‘reparations and compensation’,” Senator Price said.

“And after seeing Linda Burney’s performance these past few weeks, they’re concerned the voice is a ‘first step’ to abolishing Australia Day.

“I think it’s critical to hear directly from the Australians about their concerns. They’re the ones who will be deciding this referendum.”

Senator Lidia Thorpe in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Meanwhile, independent senator Lidia Thorpe has attacked the No side accusing the Coalition of shutting her out of the process of writing the anti-voice argument which will be published in the official voice referendum pamphlet.

Senator Thorpe claimed she had been “excluded” from writing for the No pamphlet, and the Coalition had “made it clear to my office that they are the ones writing the No pamphlet and that they are only interested in my contribution if it aligns with their priorities”.

“I’ve been excluded from the writing of the No pamphlet as there are no processes in place to provide a fair discussion of what should be in it or to ensure that my analysis of the Voice will be shared with the Australian people,” Senator Thorpe said.

The pamphlet will include a 2000 word summary of the arguments for the Yes and No sides due on July 17, which will be decided by committees of the MPs who voted for and against the Constitutional Amendment Bill. The No side committee is chaired by Nationals senator Nampijinpa Price and co-chaired by Liberal senator Paul Scarr.

Senator Thorpe has vowed to publish her own pamphlet outlining the side of the progressive No vote, which has rejected the Albanese government’s voice model in order to push for sovereignty and a truth telling commission.

“I will be putting out a statement on the Voice with a focus on providing information to those voting on the referendum that is factual, explains how the voice is just another advisory body that can be ignored by government and was not informed by self-determination,” she said.

“The voice is not a step in the right direction.”

Senator Price said no single person would be responsible for composing the pamphlet and it was an “ongoing process and will consider the views of many people who voted to oppose Labor’s voice proposal”.