Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is “confident” the Voice referendum will receive a double majority “Yes” vote when Australians hit the polling booths later this year.
Despite the latest Newspoll suggesting yes support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament is slipping to 45 per cent, Mr Albanese believes Australians will vote yes when the time comes.
Speaking on The Today Show on Monday, Mr Albanese said the federal government would “be out there putting the case” to Australians to vote yes when asked if he was worried about a potential failed referendum.
“It’s hard to win a referendum in Australia. They’ve only been eight referendums passed out of 48, something like that,” he said.
“But we’ll continue to put the case for yes. And I’m very, very confident that as people mobilise when the campaign is actually on.
“You will have the union movement, sporting codes, every one of which have supported the constitutional change. You’ll have faith groups all out there arguing for a yes vote in this referendum, saying if not now, when?
“It will be a moment of national unity and after it’s done, people will wonder why it wasn’t done earlier.”
For the referendum to pass, it must secure a majority “yes” vote nationally, as well as a majority “yes” vote across four of the six states.
The Newspoll suggests only Victoria and New South Wales will vote in favour of the Voice.
Last week, the Senate passed the bill for the referendum to take place. Mr Albanese must now determine a date for the referendum in two to six months’ time.
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