AUSTRALIA has learned the date for the Voice referendum, as polling in key swing states indicates mixed views on the issue.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled the October 14 date in Adelaide today (Wednesday, August 30).<\/p>\n
The announcement comes as polling suggests a shift in support for the voice in South Australia but Tasmania is leaning towards a \u201cno\u2019 vote.<\/p>\n
A survey of 605 South Australians by think tank The Australia Institute indicates 43 per cent back an Indigenous voice to parliament while 39 per cent are opposed.<\/p>\n
The undecided 18 per cent were evenly split in their leaning, putting \u201cyes\u201d ahead at 52-48.<\/p>\n
Previous polls had put \u201cno\u201d ahead in SA, considered a crucial swing state.<\/p>\n
Separate polling from another think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs, has Tasmania, another key swing state, leaning towards \u2018no\u2019.<\/p>\n
The survey of 1,156 voters in the state found 53 per cent intended to vote \u201cno\u201d, with another 42 per cent in support.<\/p>\n
Another 5 per cent said they were undecided.<\/p>\n
For the Voice to succeed, a majority of states need to vote \u201cyes\u201d as well as the majority of Australians.<\/p>\n
Mr Albanese had earlier ruled out multiple weekends for the referendum, including footy grand finals, Parliament sitting weeks and the wet season in the Northern Territory, essentially putting it in mid-October.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister was joined by Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney and other members of his cabinet, along with the South Australian premier, at a \u2018yes\u2019 launch event in Adelaide\u2019s northern suburbs.<\/p>\n
The referendum will ask Australians to constitutionally enshrine an Indigenous advisory body known as the voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes’\u201dsupporters will kick off campaigns across the country, including door knocks and street walks.<\/p>\n
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull joined Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and \u201cyes\u201d volunteers to hand out flyers in Sydney.<\/p>\n
In Tasmania, Liberal MP Bridget Archer will hit the streets to encourage voters to back the proposal.<\/p>\n
Greens leader Adam Bandt and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten will chat with commuters in Melbourne\u2019s inner north.<\/p>\n
Other polls have the \u201cyes\u201d vote lagging across the nation and on a downward trend but campaigners say the mood on the ground is more hopeful.<\/p>\n
Assistant Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said it would still be a challenge for the \u2018yes\u2019 vote to succeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see that this is an uphill battle, we have to keep going right up until the final moments of the referendum ballot,\u201d she told ABC TV on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Adelaide, Indigenous activist Noel Pearson said the state would be critical in the referendum.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really a linchpin, it\u2019s been between those eastern states that are very firmly \u2018yes\u2019 and those that are still pondering what they will do at this referendum,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The \u201cno\u201d campaign has positioned the voice to be legally risky and divisive along racial lines.<\/p>\n
Former prime minister John Howard warned a successful voice referendum would lead to calls for treaty.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have treaties with bits of ourselves and it only has to be stated to be realised as a complete absurdity,\u201d he told Sky News.<\/p>\n
\u201cTreaties are made between sovereign nations, we have treaties with other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the referendum should not be approached with trepidation.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo we want to respond in anger and fear? Or do we want to listen about a way that will give not only recognition which matters but also better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across this country?\u201d she told ABC Radio.<\/p>\n