Voice referendum: Aussies slam Rove McManus for his furious spray on The Project as final voting begins

Comedian Rove McManus’ call for Australians to ‘just be decent’ and vote Yes in the Voice for Parliament referendum has been slammed online by supporters of the No campaign.

Millions of Australians will cast their ballots on Saturday, saying yes or no to including an advisory body for Indigenous Australians in the constitution.

The comedian revealed to The Project panel that he was ‘mad’ in a meeting on Friday, saying the Voice had been ‘manipulated’.

‘What are we doing to ourselves? This is a real moment where we can be proud and show what a great country it is.’

But One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is among Australians leading the backlash against his comments, calling it a “latest attempt to bully voters”.

“You’d think the Yes campaign would have learned by now, Aussies are sick of celebrity bullies and tomorrow they’ll be heading to the polls to vote ‘No’ for their Division Voice,” he posted Mrs. Hanson at X.

Another X user posted: ‘READ ROOM: Elitist has been Rove McManus has put the final nail in the Yes coffin.’

“Why would anyone take advice from Rove McManus or the Project panel on how to vote?” wrote another.

“Stop interfering in our personal lives,” another person posted.

“Why celebrities think their thinking is smarter than our research. Honestly, how dare Rove, goodbye Project.’

Others criticized the entertainer for referencing a conversation with his nine-year-old daughter about the referendum during his remarks on air.

On last night’s show, he revealed what he believed to be ‘mind blowing’ to those planning to vote No, following a conversation with his nine-year-old daughter.

“She said, ‘I can’t believe anyone would vote no on this,’ and that’s what breaks my heart,” he said.

“Rove McManus telling us to be decent for once” showing his contempt for ordinary Aussies who he clearly believes are unseemly,’ one person posted.

“Oh and Rove, mentioning your 9 year old is emotional pointless nonsense.”

Rove McManus has made an impassioned plea to Australians to “be good” and vote “Yes” in the “Voice to Parliament” referendum.

The comedian’s comments came on the eve of the last chance for Australians to cast their vote on the proposal to recognize First Nations people in the constitution and create an advisory voice in parliament.

It is hoped Voice will give First Nations people, who have life expectancies eight years shorter than other Australians and double the suicide rate, a chance to weigh in on laws affecting them.

The three-time Gold Logie winner, whose company Roving Enterprises produces The Project, also addressed those who criticized The Voice for not going far enough to address the issues facing Indigenous Australians, saying that “in many ways, of course that doesn’t happen”.

“You can’t just fall to the top of Mount Everest, you have to climb slowly and that’s the only way you can do it,” he said.

He asked Australians to think about how they wanted to vote and to ‘be worthy for once’ in order to make a difference to First Nations people.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also issued an emotional plea on Friday, telling voters that ‘kindness costs nothing’.

Millions of Australians will cast their votes today, saying either Yes or No to include an advisory body for Indigenous Australians in the constitution

“There is nothing, there is no cost to Australians to show kindness, to think with their hearts as well as their heads when they go into the voting booth tomorrow,” Albanese said.

“This is a time where Australians have that opportunity to show the generosity of spirit that I see in the Australian character,” he told reporters in Adelaide.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton used the last day before the election to warn that the proposed advisory body would be “a very significant and damaging change to our system of government”.

“I think there is a lot of regret in terms of the division that has been created, the money that has been spent and no practical results that would be delivered to Indigenous Australians,” he said on ABC radio.

The latest poll continued to show the No vote likely to prevail over the Yes campaign, with only the state of Victoria looking likely to agree to the referendum proposal.

To pass the referendum question must win a Yes vote from a majority of voters in most Australian states.