Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Indigenous Voice to Parliament ‘winnable’ as pre-polling opens

As Australians head to early voting stations, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the referendum to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the constitution remains “winnable” despite opinion poll trends.

Everyone eligible can now cast a ballot on whether an Indigenous advisory body should be included in the constitution after a staggered start to early voting due to public holidays in some states and territories.

With most surveys including Newspoll and the Resolve Political Monitor showing declining support for the voice, things aren’t looking good for the ‘yes’ campaign.

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But with over a week to go until official polling day on October 14, Albanese says the referendum isn’t over.

“It is certainly winnable,” he told ABC Radio National on Tuesday.

“When people have those one-on-one conversations about what the question is … people who are either undecided or soft ‘no’ voters declare ‘yeah, that’s fair enough.’

“This is the right thing to do, this is consistent with the Australian principle of a fair go.”

But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused the prime minister of dividing Australia while failing to deliver change to First Nations communities.

“We want a better situation, particularly for those with disadvantages living in remote and regional areas,” he told reporters.

“You can do that if the money is spent appropriately, you can’t do it if the money is diverted to other causes and away from those most in need.”

Progressive ‘no’ proponent and independent Senator Lidia Thorpe said the voice was not about changing the lives of Indigenous Australians.

“This is about assimilation, putting us into their founding document — which is an absolute joke,” she told ABC Melbourne radio on Tuesday.

But Albanese insisted there was no downside.

“Voting yes, we’ll just give 3 per cent of the population the opportunity to be heard,” he said.

“We know that when people are directly affected and they’re able to have a voice and be listened to, you’ll get better outcomes.”

Celebrities including former Labor minister and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett and NRL superstar Nathan Cleary lent their voices to the ‘yes’ campaign ahead of early polling opening in NSW, the ACT, Queensland and South Australia on Tuesday.

Voting opened in Victoria, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania on Monday.

Anyone able to vote in person on October 14 has been urged to do so, as early voting is intended for those who cannot get to a polling centre on the day.

Postal vote applications are open until 6pm on October 11.