Anthony Albanese keeps it simple on the Indigenous voice to parliament

The PM’s pitch to the ALP faithful – that an Indigenous voice means ‘no losers, just winners’ – continues the simplistic sell Labor believes will deliver a historic referendum victory.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flanked by MP Andrew Giles and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney during the 49th ALP National Conference in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

Anthony Albanese’s pitch to the ALP faithful that a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous voice to parliament ensures “no losers, just winners” continues the simplistic sell that Labor campaign strategists believe will deliver a historic referendum victory.

The Prime Minister used the final day of the 49th ALP national conference to springboard his campaign to swing soft voters and drag the Yes23 campaign back into a winning position.

With Greens protesters shouting for treaty outside the Brisbane Convention Centre, Albanese declared that Australians have “everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose” by voting Yes.

Speaking after a slick new election-style ad was played to party delegates, Albanese issued a rallying call for union bosses and ALP members to “campaign like you’ve never campaigned before”.

He said the “spirit of Yes is both a gift and an invitation to all Australians” and lauded unions, business, religious communities and sporting codes for endorsing Yes. Albanese said that after the referendum – expected to be held on October 14 following the AFL and NRL grand finals – Australians would look back and think “why didn’t we do it earlier”.

The Labor leader compared the voice to Mabo, Wik, the apology to the stolen generation and the historic 1967 referendum.

“We take on these things because that has always been the Labor way. We take them on not because they are convenient – but out of conviction,” Albanese said.

“Just as the idea of a voice came from the grassroots, it will be decided at the grassroots. By the people of Australia. And in this, all of us have a part to play. Winning this referendum will depend on the conversations you have, the calls you make, the doors you knock on, the people you reach.

“There’s no more powerful force for change than our great labour movement at its best and there is no cause more deserving for our support.”

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney told unions and ALP supporters to join the fight for a voice, telling them “I need your help”.

“I can’t win this referendum alone. I need you to get out there – to knock on doors, to have conversations in your communities. This is our moment. Our moment to make history. Our moment to make Australia a better place,” Burney said.

The formidable ALP-unions campaign machine is ready to kick into gear in support of the cashed-up Yes23 campaign. The five-to-six week lead-up to the referendum will be modelled on an election campaign, with Yes and No advertising blanketing digital and traditional media platforms.

The Yes side, backed by an army of 20,000 volunteers and ALP campaigning infrastructure, will doorknock, phone and letterbox drop hundreds of thousands of undecided voters.

Albanese told ALP and union bosses the referendum will be won through “direct conversations”.

“I want you to talk to those Australians who haven’t had a chance yet to engage with the coming referendum. I want you to give the answer to every Australian who has looked at the stark realities of Indigenous disadvantage. Tap into that abiding instinct for fairness that is so much part of the Australian character.”

If the voice goes down despite the backing of the ALP and unions campaign machine, Albanese takes the hit. If his strategy – to keep it simple and promise further details after the referendum – doesn’t work, he wears the result.