Anthony Albanese presses go to super-charge Indigenous voice to parliament campaign

Anthony Albanese, senior cabinet ministers and premiers are preparing a blitz of battleground states, as the ALP and union campaign machines swing behind the Yes23 voice movement.

Anthony Albanese speaks at the ALP national conference in Brisbane. Picture: Tertius Pickard / NCA NewsWire

Anthony Albanese, senior cabinet ministers and state premiers are preparing a nationwide blitz of battleground states and electorates, as the ALP and union campaign machines swing behind the Yes23 grassroots movement ahead of the voice referendum.

The Prime Minister and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney on Saturday will use speeches on the final day of the ALP national conference in Brisbane to springboard Labor’s Yes campaign ahead of an expected October 14 referendum.

Local Yes supporter groups, now established in every federal electorate and embedded with pro-Yes Labor and Liberal MPs, will be bolstered by more than 20,000 volunteers who will lead doorknocking, letterboxing and phone canvassing operations in coming weeks.

The Weekend Australian understands Ms Burney will use her conference address to energise the labour movement to join the Yes campaign and lead conversations in local communities to win the referendum.

Mr Albanese, along with senior colleagues and popular premiers including Peter Malinauskas, Daniel Andrews and Chris Minns, will step up efforts targeting soft voters when the prime minister fires the starting gun on the referendum campaign.

Government sources confirmed September 10 is the cut-off to call an October 14 referendum.

Pro-voice operatives said the interaction between political and grassroots campaigns would seek to avoid MPs leading the daily debate or taking control of the Yes23 strategy. While the Yes23 campaign will outspend No’s Fair Australia campaign across mass media markets in the final five to six weeks of the campaign, pro-voice backers are ramping up on-the-ground operations targeting train stations in peak periods, shopping centres and weekend markets.

The ALP’s campaign machine will unleash an election-style digital media advertising blitz aimed at reaching millions of Australians.

A campaign source said direct voter contact and face-to-face conversations explaining what the voice proposal entails were key to flipping soft voters.

Outside the capital cities, the Uluru Dialogue is leading the campaign push in the regions.

Liberals for Yes is also planning events led by former opposition Indigenous Australians spokesman Julian Leeser, Bass MP Brid­get Archer and Kate Carnell.

The Yes campaign is seeking to amplify the cross-party alliance in support of the voice, including Labor, Liberals, Greens and independents Helen Haines, Andrew Wilkie, Allegra Spender and David Pocock.

Prominent Yes campaigner Noel Pearson joined South Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young in Adelaide on Friday, and Yes23 campaign director Dean Parkin held events with NSW Liberal MPs Matt Kean, James Griffin and Felicity Wilson last week.

Amid expectations that Queensland and Western Australia will oppose the voice, the No side will push hard to win South Australia or Tasmania.

Prominent No campaigners Warren Mundine and opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Price will launch the WA Liberals for No campaign in Perth on Sunday alongside Liberal senators Michaelia Cash and Kerrynne Liddle.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his Labor caucus and party were “united” on the referendum. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Ahead of national conference endorsing the voice, Mr Albanese said his Labor caucus and party were “united” on the referendum.

“This isn’t a matter of ­convenience. This is a matter of conviction.

“This is about recognising our First Nations people in our Constitution after 122 years, and then it’s simply about listening in order to get better results,” Mr Albanese said.

“We can’t continue to just do more of the same, And constitutional change isn’t easy. We know eight out of 48 referendums have passed, and only one that’s been put forward by the Labor Party has passed.”

Mr Albanese repeated his claim that if the referendum failed, “it will be a setback for reconciliation, and it will be a lost opportunity”.

“What we know from the Republic referendum that was held at the end of the last century, the last time we had a referendum, is not only has it not returned in the quarter of a century almost since, it’s not on the horizon in the next couple of years either,” he said.

“This is in the hands of the Australian people.

“I will do my best to promote a Yes vote. I was fully aware, when I said that we would hold a referendum, there were people who said that’s a risk.

“Of course, it’s a risk. Change is hard. But this is necessary.”

Mr Albanese said the referendum would be in October or November and the government was working with the AEC.