Indigenous Voice to Parliament: Anthony Albanese to announce referendum date in South Australia

Australians go to the polls on October 14 to vote in the first referendum in 24 years.

After months of speculation, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will officially announce the date next week in the state of South Australia to win and kick off a six-week campaign.

It is clear that Albanese will join prominent Voice supporters in South Australia next week in an effort to turn the tide and rally support for the proposed constitutional amendment.

For a referendum to succeed, it must receive a majority of the votes in a majority of states.

Only eight of the 44 referenda in Australia’s 122-year history have passed – all with bipartisan support.

The latest polls show the Voice slumping in every state, with the ‘yes’ vote leading the way only in South Australia and NSW, according to the latest Newspoll polls.

In Victoria, the vote is evenly distributed, while the ‘No’ vote is leading in WA, Queensland and Tasmania, with the No campaign confident it can win over voters.

The Yes campaign also focuses on the island state.

Speaking alongside Voice campaigner Pat Farmer – a former Liberal MP and ultramarathon runner – Mr Albanese said on Tuesday that the Voice was about ‘only three things’.

“Recognition of First Nations people in our founding document, our constitution,” he said.

‘Secondly, give them a voice: an advisory body for the government, so that the government can listen and we can achieve better results.

“A yes vote is a vote to pay respect to Indigenous Australians… an opportunity to elevate our nation, to show that we are a confident and mature nation that can come to terms with the fullness and wealth of our history.

“If not now, when?”

Mr Albanese has ruled out legislating for a vote to parliament if the bid for constitutional reform falls short, saying he will respect Australia’s wishes.

The Yes camp is expected to campaign for The Voice in the coming weeks as polls show public support continues to fall.

A RedBridge poll conducted earlier this month found the No campaign to have a massive 56-44 lead over the Yes side.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ends months of speculation and next week will officially announce the date in the state of South Australia to win and kick off a six-week campaign.

This is because a Guardian Essential Poll had the no side at 47 percent and the yes at 43 percent.

The Yes side now follows the No side in every state and territory – to pass, four of the six states would have to vote Yes and win the overall national vote.

Both polls are an indication that people’s opinions are hardening, as it is the first time people have been polled since the launch of campaign information brochures by both camps in July.

The drive to change the constitution has also exposed income and education disparities – the more educated or affluent a person is, the more likely they are to support yes.

Two-thirds of those with Year 12 and TAFE education plan to vote no, while 56 percent of college graduates support yes, the poll conducted for News Corp. found.

Similarly, two-thirds of people with an annual household income of less than $50,000 a year also plan to vote no.

The Voice is even more unpopular with Protestants and voters over the age of 65 — about 75 percent in each category plan to be No.

Other groups that support The Voice are the 18 to 34 age group (63 percent support) and those who speak a language other than English at home (59 percent support yes).