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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Voice to Parliament campaign will only end when Australians go to the polls on Saturday, rejecting a former Labor strategist’s view that the Yes campaign has been defeated.
Key points:
Former Labor strategist says Yes camp lost referendum Voice
Months of polls show declining support for Voice to Parliament project
Anthony Albanese says campaign doesn’t end until voters vote
For months, polls have shown declining support for the referendum proposal, which would enshrine in the constitution a non-binding consultative body made up of indigenous representatives.
After a Resolve poll suggested support had fallen another 2 per cent over the past week, to 34 per cent, former Labor strategist and pollster Kos Samaras tweeted that the campaign was “over”.
“Once you include undecided voters, you get closer to 30. It’s done. It’s over,” Mr. Samaras tweeted.
But asked about Mr Samaras’ comment, the prime minister said the campaign was not over.
“It only happens when people vote,” Mr. Albanese said.
“We’ll wait and see when they vote, I’m not getting ahead of the Australian people – I know there was some arrogance that crept into the No campaign.”
Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy also categorically rejected suggestions the Voice campaign had been sunk.
“Not at all, seriously. That’s the problem: when you’re on the streets or in the polling stations, that’s not the answer you get,” Senator McCarthy told Channel Nine.
“It’s a different feeling on the pitch and I get hope from it.”
During a TV blitz this morning, Mr Albanese again championed The Voice’s cause, saying it would give Indigenous people “a little more voice and rights” without taking anything away from other Australians.
“There is everything to gain here and nothing to fear,” Mr Albanese said.
The Prime Minister confirmed yesterday that if the referendum failed he would not attempt to legislate through the normal processes, walking back previous suggestions that the Government could legislate on the representative body regardless of the outcome of the referendum.
Indigenous lawyer and activist Michael Mansell, who opposed the Voice referendum, said that if the government had chosen to legislate on Voice instead of holding a referendum, the body “would already be up and running”.
“They should never have gone down this path (of holding a referendum),” Mr Mansell told the ABC.
“Even after they made that proposal, they did it very rigidly (and) when it became clear in April of this year that there was no bipartisan support for the referendum, they should have gone back in Albanese.
“But no, they took this crash or crash approach.”
The referendum will take place on Saturday.