Vote referendum: Noel Pearson slams Neil Mitchell for ‘sitting in a radio cube’ as he ‘works in the stony fields of poverty, misery and hungry children’ – and paints a bleak picture of Australia’s future if the ‘no vote’ wins

Outspoken Yes campaigner Noel Pearson has released a scathing takedown of radio presenter Neil Mitchell ahead of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.

Pearson has promoted the proposal he helped formulate as he traveled the country educating Australians about what a yes vote would mean for his community.

Speaking to 3AW’s Neil Mitchell on Tuesday, Pearson painted a bleak picture of Australia’s future if a No vote prevails in the October 14 referendum.

But it was his extraordinary speech to the radio host that left the most lasting impression and revealed unprecedented insight into his passionate plea to the nation.

‘You know your business, I know my business partner.

‘My company is not in a radio cube. My company works in the stony fields of deprivation and poverty and misery and alcoholism and hungry children, where people go to prison.”

Pearson said Mitchell seemed “rude to the bitter end about (the referendum)” and said his questions during the interview suggested he was against the Voice.

“Do you have a solution to give us more?” he asked Mitchell.

But Mitchell argued that his questions were simply “intended to find out what (the Vote) achieves in real terms” – at a time when the No camp is flourishing because it has successfully argued that there is a lack of detail about the proposal .

A new Guardian Essential Poll has indicated an increase in ‘yes’ votes of around two percent for the first time in months, but it only breaks the downward trend that has been visible in all polls for months.

About 49 percent of respondents said they plan to vote No — down two points from the past two weeks — while 42 percent say they will vote Yes.

About eight percent have not yet made a decision.

The national yes vote is conservatively at around 40 per cent and these polls, including Redbridge and Newspoll, indicate that most states are on course to vote no.

The Voice to Parliament needs a double majority – the majority of voters in most states – to be successful on October 14.

Pearson said a no vote would be crushing for all the people who had worked so hard to extend an olive branch to non-Indigenous Australia.

“I’ve been working on this for 30 years, tackling these issues from the ground up, and I’m telling you there is no plan B.

‘No, that will be a disaster for all of us. We will all lose, including the No campaigners.”

Pearson said Australia is on a “precipice” and that a no vote would become “an absolute cliff” for the country.

“There will be heartbreak. There will be absolute despair.”

Pearson said the reforms, which have been “in the making for 15 years”, are the only way forward for many First Nations Australians, and without a “yes” vote many would see no way to move forward.

But he is still confident Australians will be able to cast a yes vote on referendum day.

“We have two weeks,” he said. “Two weeks is a long time in politics, Neil.”

Yes23’s internal polling has shown that a large part of the community has not yet engaged with the campaign.

These are the voters that Yes campaigners are trying to target, hoping that most of them will fall into their camp on referendum day.

Gav Harris, a grandfather from western Sydney who campaigns 20 hours a week in addition to his full-time job, said it’s also the atmosphere he gets on the ground.

‘People will say they are already voting ‘Yes’, or they will smile and honk from their cars. “I would say there is a lot more support than negative feedback,” he said.

But another common reaction is simply confusion or a lack of interest.

“The number of undecided votes is still enormous,” he said.

“People are still not involved.”

Pearson also sensationally excluded himself from joining the advisory body if a Voice to Parliament were formed.

He said he would like to take on an “advisory” role to the “entire layer of leadership in the next generation behind me,” mentoring and guiding them through the challenges they will face.

‘We have had plans for twenty years. We’re ready to go. We were probably able to implement a third of them regardless of government, but the other two thirds. We really need the government to work with us in partnership,” he said.

But when asked if he would run for office if that were an option, Pearson hesitated.

“Not myself personally,” he said. ‘Absolutely not.’

Pearson said the creation of a Voice to Parliament would put more pressure on indigenous communities, forcing them to “take responsibility” if the crisis does not improve.

‘We must take responsibility. Then you can blame us. Because if you give us a vote, you can blame us.

“But you can’t blame us if you don’t give us the responsibility to contribute to the solution… The message will be that you give us the responsibility to take charge of our problems, to take responsibility for the results. Then we will have to dress, whether we make progress or not.’