Polls show Australia indigenous referendum support slipping, likely to fail
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SYDNEY – Support for a referendum to constitutionally recognise Australia’s indigenous people has slipped further, with the landmark proposal
Support for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, an indigenous committee to advise Parliament on matters affecting aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, fell to 33 per cent, down 15 points since May, a poll by the Australian Financial Review (AFR) and Freshwater Strategy showed. The “no” vote had reached 50 per cent.
Despite a campaign by the Labor government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to win over undecided voters, opposition to the referendum rose three points to 56 per cent, a poll done for The Australian newspaper showed.
Support dipped to 36 per cent, from 38 per cent in the previous poll on Sept 3.
Altering the Constitution requires a national referendum in Australia, and only eight have passed since 1901, when the country was formed.
The proposal must get a majority of votes nationwide, and at least four of the six states must back the change.
Australia, which will hold the referendum on Oct 14, has no treaty with its indigenous people, who make up 3.2 per cent of its 26 million population. They were marginalised by British colonial rulers and are not mentioned in the 122-year-old Constitution.
The referendum debate has divided opinions, with supporters arguing that the Voice would bring progress for the aboriginal community, while opponents say it would be divisive. Others have described it as tokenism and toothless.
Voters who had switched their stance to reject the proposal in the past five months said the Voice was creating distraction from their top two issues – the cost of living and the cost of housing, the AFR survey said.
It also showed that the approval ratings for Mr Albanese, who has staked significant political capital on the referendum, fell 5 points to 46 per cent.
In the Newspoll survey, Mr Albanese’s ratings improved slightly to 47 per cent, though his ratings still remain at historically low levels. On a two-party preferred basis, Labor enjoyed a 54-46 per cent lead against the conservative opposition coalition. REUTERS
