John Farnham lends hit song You’re The Voice to Yes campaign: ‘I hope it can change the lives of our First Nations people for the better’
John Farnham lends hit You’re The Voice to Yes campaign: ‘I hope it can change the lives of our First Nations people for the better’
John Farnham officially supports Australia’s Yes campaign in support of giving an Indigenous voice to Parliament.
The 74-year-old singer has provided his iconic song You’re The Voice for an official campaign advertisement.
“This song has changed my life. I can only hope that now, in a small way, it can help change the lives of our First Nations people for the better,” he said in a statement.
Tim Wheatley, the son of Farnham’s manager Glenn Wheatley, added: ‘Win or lose this referendum, this number will forever be on the right side of history.’
The ad featuring Farnham’s song features a family watching historic Australian moments on television, including Cathy Freeman winning gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, while You’re The Voice pops.
John Farnham (pictured) officially supports Australia’s Yes campaign in support of giving an Indigenous voice to parliament
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday that the referendum will take place on October 14.
Australia’s last referendum was held 24 years ago, in 1999, to decide whether the country should become a republic.
The referendum will enshrine in the Constitution an Indigenous voice in parliament, aimed at giving Aboriginal Australians a direct role in the country’s political decisions.
Mr Albanese has long been confident that the referendum would succeed, despite opinion polls showing that marginal majority support for The Voice has declined in recent months as public debate has become more heated and divisive.
‘I think people are going to concentrate more. I expect many Australians to focus only in recent weeks,” Albanese told reporters. “A majority of Australians will come to the answer that there is nothing to lose here, only gain.”
The 74-year-old singer has provided his iconic song You’re The Voice for an official campaign advertisement
The ad features a family watching historic Australian moments on television, including Cathy Freeman winning gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, while You’re The Voice pops
The Yes campaign will need a majority of Australians and a majority in at least four of the six states to succeed. Only eight of the 44 referenda in Australia’s 122-year history have proved successful – all with bipartisan support.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) will distribute 13 million information brochures to Australian households in the coming weeks.
“From aged care facilities to suburban homes, from outback stations to high-rise apartments, we are working with Australia Post to deliver the pamphlets across the country,” said Australian election official Nye Coffey.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday that the referendum will take place on October 14
Yes campaigner Noel Pearson said the vote in South Australia would be crucial to ensuring the Yes campaign wins a majority in at least four of the six states.
Warren Mundine, a campaigner for Nee, said the final push would be ‘a real battle for the hearts and minds of the Australian public out there’.
The latest polls show the Voice slumping in every state, and according to the latest Newspoll polls, the ‘Yes’ vote is leading only in South Africa and NSW.
In Victoria, the vote is evenly split, while the ‘no’ vote is leading in WA, Queensland and Tasmania.