Meet the Aboriginal Australians who will become the face of the Yes campaign against the Voice – as celebrities are dumped as part of a massive charm offensive to influence the country

Medical workers in rural indigenous communities are among the new faces of the campaign in support of a vote for parliament.

Everyday Indigenous Australians from the Kimberley and Alice Springs replaced Cate Blanchett, Johnathan Thurston and Ash Barty in a new $1 million charm offensive to encourage voters to support the referendum later this year.

The public will be asked whether a vote to parliament should be included in our constitution, with the vote taking place between October and December.

Yes23, the official Yes campaign, conducted internal research with focus groups which showed that large segments of the general public still view the Voice as a ‘political issue’.

To address these concerns, the campaign has launched another advertising blitz with a series of new ads featuring everyday First Nations people, explaining what a Voice to Parliament would mean to them.

Brenda Garstone, CEO of the Yura Yungi Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation is playing a role in the campaign, saying the community “really needs a voice to work for us.”

“It is very important for Aboriginal people to be at the forefront of health because we understand our people, we are able to build trust very quickly,” she says.

“Many of our people need immediate medical treatment and we can’t wait to build trust.”

Stephanie Trust, a clinical director at Wunan Health and Wellbeing, spoke in an ad about both her parents being part of the stolen generation.

She said her clinic delivers “primary health care with a real Aboriginal flavour,” noting that health care in underprivileged communities also needs a sense of “social service”.

Her colleague, Tanya, said: ‘I don’t necessarily think that the voices of government and politicians have the answers. I think it should be brought back to the community and the grassroots people because in a sense we can identify our own problems and are fully capable of that.”

Dr. Trust said, “The Voice allows us to voice that opinion, to sit at tables and talk from experience and bring that value and experience into the conversation.”

Another ad features Jacqui Cox, who works with the Language Support Center in the Kimberley region.

She works to preserve the region’s 42 languages, but staff note that the languages ​​are “at risk” because people were “punished for speaking their language.”

“We’ve been dictated to for a long time… to the point where we feel like we’re losing ourselves, as Indigenous people.

“We just want to be heard and respected…we need to have a voice in parliament.”

These new faces mark a shift away from celebrity endorsement, after insiders revealed concerns that using stars could backfire.

A source said Australians don’t like being told what to do and A-listers like Blanchett, who doesn’t even live in Australia, could be misinterpreted as preaching voters.

The Australian film star expressed her support for the referendum during an ABC interview, sparking fierce and immediate backlash online.

Several critics online told her to ‘stick to acting’, while others said it was ‘offensive’ for her to comment on Australian politics while living abroad. She was accused by others of being a “preacher” and “abusive.”

Yes23 has struggled to keep pace with the No campaign, which kicked off immediately after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled the referendum question.

Daily Mail Australia understands that efforts have ramped up significantly in recent weeks to counter the No campaign’s gains as polls show support for The Voice is slipping across the country.

Campaign Director Dean Parkin said: ‘These videos show that when you involve Indigenous people in the development of programs that impact them, you get better results.

“It makes sense that when you get input from people who live and work in these communities and experience day-to-day issues, you get well-designed policies that can make a practical difference.”

Mr Parkin said a successful yes vote in the referendum – to be held between October and December – would ‘change the game on how policies affecting indigenous peoples are developed’.

The four ads will be broadcast on the campaign’s social media channels.

The campaign is expected to have spent at least $1 million on the digital rollout – it’s the largest digital ad spend to date.

Internal research has suggested that ordinary Australians are increasingly interested in what Indigenous people think of the voice.

Within every campaign there are well-known and respected Indigenous politicians and academics who defend their position.

Attorney and advocate Noel Pearson and Secretary of Indigenous Affairs Linda Burney are among the most prominent Yes campaigners.

Meanwhile, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and former politician Warren Mundine are calling for a no vote.

Senator Lidia Thorpe is also against the vote, but favors a treaty between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Despite widespread polling indicating that support for The Voice is waning, Yes campaigners remain hopeful that many voters remain undecided or consider themselves a ‘soft No’.

The hope is that with more campaigns on the ground in communities across the country, volunteers can influence opinions.