Annastacia Palaszczuk risks regional votes to take up Voice crusade

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and senior members of the government will campaign for the Voice to Parliament despite concerns it will hurt Labor at the next election.

• Your say: ‘More hopeless than I thought’

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and senior members of the government will campaign for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament despite concerns it will hurt Labor’s chances in regional Queensland at the next election.

Ms Palaszczuk has blamed “conservative forces” for putting the state on track to resoundingly reject the Voice.

Ms Palaszczuk, however, insists she and Cabinet members will continue to campaign, declaring voters will see the referendum and her government as “two separate issues”.

Some regional Labor MPs are privately concerned the Palaszczuk government’s active support for the Yes campaign could create further damage to its brand outside the southeast corner – with Queensland on track to vote No in the October 14 referendum.

Ms Palaszczuk said she and “every member of our Caucus” would campaign for the Yes camp, and acknowledged polling showing it would be an uphill battle.

“It’s disappointing to see some of those (polling) results and I stand with the Prime Minister in saying that the Voice means so much to so many people and it’s Australia’s opportunity to take a step in the right direction,” she said.

“Unfortunately I think you’ve got some conservative forces out there that want to divide our state.”

Queenslanders Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and One Nation’s Pauline Hanson are among the most vocal opponents of the Voice, and Nationals Leader David Littleproud said his party would also oppose it.

Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk with Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian on September 4 revealed support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament had fallen to 38 per cent while those intending to vote No in the referendum rose to 53 per cent.

The result is magnified in regional areas of the nation, with Yes support at 31 per cent and No at 61 per cent, with 8 per cent uncommitted.

Cape York leader Noel Pearson describes Queensland, the nation’s most decentralised state, as “ground zero” of the Voice referendum.

“Not for a minute do I believe this state is lost,” he told the Queensland Media Club in July.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli revealed he would vote against the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, but said his members should vote as they please and insisted he would not be campaigning against it.

Early voting for the referendum will open on October 3 and polling booths will open from 8am to 6pm on October 14.

For Australians under the age of 42 it will be their first vote in a referendum.

Originally published as Annastacia Palaszczuk risks regional votes to take up Voice crusade