TRANSCRIPT
The 'Yes' campaign for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament has made use of momentum built following the announcement the referendum will be held on October 14.
A Yes23 community forum has been held in Smithton, in Tasmania's far north-west coast, while 'No' campaigners are in South Australia.
Polling suggests the 'No' vote will win in Western Australia and Queensland - meaning it only needs South Australia or Tasmania to vote 'No' to have a majority.
'No' campaigner Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is in Adelaide, and told Sky News the campaign will focus on both battleground states.
"Polling has also suggested that Tasmania is probably slightly ahead of South Australia in terms of its support for no and getting over the line that we need to have a majority vote no. But we're not going to be complacent. We know that South Australia is a battleground state as is Tassie so we're going to be working very hard over the coming weeks for the referendum to ensure that Australians are actually well informed as to what this all means. Why we are encouraging Australians to vote no, to a risky, divisive, unknown and permanent voice proposal."
It comes as the Guardian has revealed Coalition politicians who oppose the Voice are spending over four times more on Facebook ads than Labor politicians.
It found in some cases, they're using taxpayer-funded expenses to boost ads which target yes campaigners and raise doubt about the reliability of the voting process.
The Guardian has approached all relevant politicians for comment.
Greens Senator Larissa Waters told the A-B-C she's been disappointed with the conduct of the 'No' campaign.
"I've been very dismayed at the turn that the campaign has taken and extremely disappointed in the conduct of Peter Dutton in particular, who I think in this last week has been utterly irresponsible in attempting to drum up concern about the very process of the referendum and the whole tick and cross debacle, which is sheer nonsense. So I find the conduct of the no campaign really disingenuous and really tapping into that sort of conspiracy theory imported from the US and I hope that Queenslanders can see through that."
Polls suggest the 'no' vote is trending strongest in the regions and suburbia.
Political Strategist Kos Samaras says unlike an election, the referendum won't focus on winning marginal seats.
"So I think both both camps will be focusing on the outer suburbs of our large cities. That's where I think this contest is going to be won or lost. The support for no is quite significant in regional rural Australia, where the yes campaign outperforms the no campaign. It's usually in large capital cities, but particularly cities that have the following mix, which is obviously higher education amongst millennials. So these individuals under the age of 42, and Gen Z also diversity is a big factor. So Melbourne and Sydney should be pretty good political landscapes for the yes campaign."
Speaking to Mamamia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese explains what would happen first if a Yes vote is successful.
"I think the first thing that will happen is a sense of pride in our nation, not just from Indigenous Australians, but from all of us, that we are declaring that we are a mature nation that are prepared to come to terms with our history. You'll then have a process of dealing with the legislation to establish the Voice to Parliament, and there'll be a process of consulting about that process leading up to the creation in 2024, next year, of a Voice."
Indigenous leader Noel Pearson told the A-B-C he can't even contemplate a 'No' vote succeeding.
"Well, that can't be contemplated. We're going to move the country forward to a better future, a new future, a new relationship. We're going to secure reconciliation with this opportunity and to contemplate No is to go backwards, is to remain with the status quo of failure and the egregious disadvantage of the original peoples in this gloriously privileged country. It's just something that you can't contemplate. I don't think Australians want to move the country backwards."
Parliament will keep working throughout the campaign with both sides relying on people power.
But, like an election - the resources needed are immense, with the electoral commission hiring 100,000 staff from now until October 14.
The Yes campaign has also gone international, with supporters living in London organising a flyer hand out at a Lime Cordiale gig in Kentish Town.
And you can find comprehensive information about the referendum visiting the SBS Voice Referendum portal at .
