Support for the Voice referendum plummets in new polls, with three Aussie states more likely to vote NO
- The Albanian government is heading for a stunning defeat on key policies
- Yes vote for Voice falls below 50 percent in major poll
The Albanian government is heading for a stunning defeat to one of the key policy proposals it has tabled in the 2022 federal election, following strong opposition from Peter Dutton and the Liberal and National parties.
The referendum on an indigenous vote in parliament is on track to be defeated nationwide poll show support for falling below 50 percent for the first time.
The legislation aims to enshrine First Nations Peoples in the constitution and establish an indigenous voice that would advise parliament.
But new figures released Monday evening show the no vote at 51 percent, leading to the yes vote falling to 49 percent, down from 53 in the previous Resolve Strategic poll for nine newspapers.
The no vote is also leading in three states – Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia – as the country prepares to vote in the referendum on a yet-to-be-determined date in the second half of the year.
The no lead in those states could be crucial, as the yes vote needs to reach not only more than 50 percent nationally, but also more than 50 percent in four of the six states.
The Albanian government is heading for a stunning defeat to one of the most important policy proposals it put forward in the 2022 federal election. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) is pictured with his partner Jodie Haydon
In Queensland, 56 percent of voters are against the Voice, 52 percent of South Australians plan to vote no and 51 percent of Western Australians are against.
Tasmania recorded the largest yes vote at 57 percent, followed by Victoria at 56 percent and New South Wales at 53 percent.
It’s the third month in a row that the yes vote has fallen — falling from 58 percent to 49 percent in that time — and comes just ahead of a Senate vote on the wording of the constitutional amendment.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vehemently rejected calls to change the wording of the Voice proposal.
When asked about the proposal in general, the survey found that 42 percent of voters support the Voice and 40 percent oppose it — with 18 percent undecided.
But on a second question that could only be answered yes or no and used the exact wording the government plans to use, 49 percent supported it and 51 percent opposed it.
“The No voters report being more engaged in their choice than the Yes voters,” said Resolve CEO Jim Reed.
“We know from that that the people who voted No support that choice, while the other Yes voters are hesitant.”
Mr Reed said that while almost all voters have now heard of the Voice referendum, only 30 per cent of them said they could confidently explain it to someone else.
“This suggests that the more people hear about the vote, the more they vote no, and not understanding the details is probably part of that.”
Another blow to Mr Albanese is that support for the Voice among Labor voters has fallen from 75% in April to 63% in June.
Of Greens voters, 81 percent said they would vote yes, but a whopping 74 percent of coalition voters now say they intend to vote no.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton (pictured with his wife Kirilly) has led the coalition’s campaign against an Indigenous vote in parliament
Indigenous activist Noel Pearson, a leading campaigner for The Voice, has warned that the Yes side is falling behind because it lacks a clear message.
He said the Yes campaign should shift its focus to explaining the need to recognize indigenous peoples in the constitution.
Mr Pearson fears reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will ultimately fail if the referendum is rejected.
“I think that message should be even more prominent than the Voice. The voice is only the means; the core of the reform is recognition,” he said The Sydney Morning Herald.