The Indigenous voice referendum has been described as a nation defining moment, just days ahead of the final outcome, with millions already casting their vote.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Uluru on Tuesday on a country-wide blitz to advocate for the voice to be enshrined in the constitution at Saturday's referendum.
Mr Albanese noted members of the Central Land Council were unanimous in support of the voice, which was a recommendation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
"There is a sense of history as we approach Saturday, just a few days to go now, and I sincerely hope that Australians take this opportunity to vote 'yes'," he told Sky News on Tuesday.
"It is a key moment in the nation's history and I just hope that Australians seize the opportunity to make this request.
"There's only upside, no downside."
Polls show the 'no' campaign is on track for victory, with a successful vote requiring a majority of votes in a majority of states.
The most recent Newspoll showed 58 per cent of voters supported 'no' while 34 per cent supported the voice.
A Resolve poll showed a slight uptick to the 'yes' vote in the past month, but still behind overall.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the voice would be divisive.
"We've got a situation now where I think Australians in their millions are increasingly wanting to vote 'no' for the voice," he said.
"The constitution is our nation's foundation document and rule book and it shouldn't be changed lightly, and the prime minister has made a deliberate decision to not give details of how the voice will operate to the Australian public."
The Australian Electoral Commission has expressed concern over "unacceptable conduct" of a small number of voters in the lead-up to the voice referendum.
With early voting under way, electoral commissioner Tom Rogers urged greater civility, saying tensions were heightened compared with a federal election.
"That's probably a reflection of the kind of debate that we're seeing in public in any case, which I think during a referendum always tends to be a bit more visceral than at a normal election," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
"A referendum unleashes passions that can boil over and we've seen what I would call unacceptable conduct, including some filming of our staff who are just trying to do the right thing."
More than 21,800 people have cast votes in remote communities before polling day - exceeding all remote votes cast in last year's federal election.
So far, 2.87 million votes have been cast.
Mr Rogers said he was aware of misinformation being circulated by campaigners about the referendum process, calling it "nonsense".
"Votes are treated with the utmost respect, we treat them like a democratic blank cheque that we cash on behalf of all Australians," he said.
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney, who was campaigning in the swing state of South Australia, urged respect following misinformation about the referendum.
"There has been some ugly moments, that's true ...but my message to everyone, particularly young Aboriginal people, is to be proud of who you are," she told reporters in Adelaide.
"The focus is laser tight on a successful referendum."
Australian Associated Press
