More than half of Australians oppose Indigenous panel in Constitution, poll shows
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Australia is facing a six-week campaign before voting in the referendum on Oct 14.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SYDNEY - More than half of Australians would reject the inclusion of an Indigenous advisory panel in the Constitution, a newspaper poll showed on Monday, as the government struggles to lift support for the landmark proposal
The latest news poll done for The Australian newspaper showed support for a “Voice to Parliament”, an Indigenous committee to advise Parliament on matters affecting them, continued to slide with only 38 per cent of voters intending to support it, while around 53 per cent will be opposing it.
Australia has a six-week campaign before voting in the referendum on Oct 14, when they will be asked whether they support altering the Constitution to set up an Indigenous committee to advise the federal Parliament.
The referendum requires a national majority of votes as well as a majority of votes in at least four of the six states in order to change the Constitution. Since Australian independence in 1901, only eight of the 44 proposals for Constitutional change have been approved.
The centre-left Labor government is under pressure to improve its messaging as support for the referendum falls.
The poll also showed the approval ratings for Mr Anthony Albanese, who has staked significant political capital on the referendum, fell into negative territory for the first time since he became Prime Minister in 2022.
On a two-party preferred basis Labor still has a 53 to 47 per cent lead, though that was down from 55 to 45 per cent in the previous poll. The support for the conservative coalition opposition rose to its highest level since the May 2022 election, leading Labor 37 to 35 per cent on primary votes.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said he would hold a second referendum on Indigenous recognition if the Voice vote fails but would not support a Constitutionally enshrined body, drawing criticism from the Voice support group.
“He’s already planning the sequel while doing everything he can to sabotage the original,” Mr Albanese said. REUTERS
