TRANSCRIPT
The latest opinion polls on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum paint a complicated picture.
Surveys from Newspoll and the Guardian suggest some voters remain undecided, but that more people intend to vote no than yes.
The only voting demographic for which the voice currently enjoys majority support is people aged between 18 and 34.
The Coalition has seized on these numbers as a sign that there's still time for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to forget the whole thing.
Home affairs spokesman James Paterson has told Sky he could cancel the whole referendum.
“Well he has said that if this goes down it will have terrible consequences for Indigenous Australians, and Australia's international standing in the world. If he really believes that he should look at this polling and say, do I want to put the country through this? He's got a choice. The writs haven't been issued yet by the AEC (Australian Electoral Commission). This is a final opportunity for him to change course - and I think he should take it."
But the government is standing firm.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says they are simply honouring the wishes of Indigenous Australians in holding the vote.
"The constitutional recognition through a voice that is currently before the Australian people does not come from politicians. It came directly from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves. We know that when governments listen to people, they get better outcomes, they use funding more effectively."
But with support for the yes vote apparently starting to drop, the Opposition are still pressing their case for a second referendum if this one fails and they win power again.
That referendum would change the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people - like this one would do - but not enshrine the Indigenous advisory body.
Labor appears to believe this is a way to capitalise on Anthony Albanese's drop in popularity, which some media reports have linked to when he started campaigning for the voice.
Mr Albanese has told Parliament the idea is ridiculous.
"They're already planning the sequel while doing everything they can to sabotage the original... That's what this is about. It shows that it's all about politics, not about the substance."
But the opposition Senate Leader Simon Birmingham says their position has not appeared out of nowhere, and is held in good faith.
"Look, it's consistent with a position we have long held for there to be recognition of Indigenous Australians in the constitution. Of course you want it to occur in a process that - far more successfully than this one has done - built strong national support and cohesion and unity, perhaps in a manner where it could then be conducted alongside a future election or the like, in a truly national unifying way but without the need to conduct a separate national ballot. But they're all decisions that we would work through in due course."
Meanwhile more state leaders are declaring their voting intentions.
The Labor leaders of each state and territory have already committed publicly to backing the voice, while officials like former Western Australian Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Wyatt has joined in a yes campaign event in Perth.
"I'm here today to appeal to Western Australians. Not only is the referendum the opportunity to change our constitution, but it's also an opportunity to say we reject these bad outcomes, we reject the status quo."
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff, NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman and ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee are so far the only Liberal leaders in the 'yes' camp.
Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia are seen as key to the fate of the referendum, with a majority 'yes' vote required in at least four of six states for it to be successful.
And you can find comprehensive information about the referendum by visiting the SBS Voice Referendum portal at
