News & Media

Voice offers a pathway to peace says Pearson in crucial pitch for Yes vote

Australians have been promised a peace dividend from the Indigenous Voice in a crucial pitch from Yes campaigner Noel Pearson to convince voters to back the change and reject what he called a confected war from the No side. Pearson said the defeat of...

‘It’s bunkum’: former Liberal party director and John Howard chief of staff dismisses no campaign arguments

Tony Nutt, the former federal director of the Liberal party and chief of staff to John Howard, has dismissed as “nonsense” and “bunkum” arguments against the Indigenous voice to parliament. “It’s just, it’s practical, and it’s constitutionally safe,” he told a Liberal-dominated Wentworth for the Voice...

‘Stand with me’: Cathy Freeman declares her support for the Voice

Australian sporting icon Cathy Freeman has thrown her weight behind the Voice referendum, imploring Australians to “stand with me” and “show our support for Australians who need it the most. I can’t remember a time when change has felt so urgent. When momentum has been...

John Farnham lends song that ‘changed my life’ to yes campaign ad

The Australian music legend John Farnham has lent his iconic song You’re the Voice to the referendum’s yes campaign, backing calls to insert an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution. It’s believed to be the first time Farnham, who is recovering from cancer, has ever permitted...

‘An enhancement of liberal democracy’: NSW Liberal leader backs Voice

NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman says he supports enshrining a Voice to parliament in the Constitution, saying the “disastrous outcomes” facing First Nations communities requires elevating the advisory body into the nation’s founding document. Directly contradicting his federal leader Peter Dutton, the Cambridge-educated silk...

The Pearson interview: ‘How does the elephant sit down with the mouse?'

In an interview with Kerry O'Brien, leading ‘Yes’ advocate Noel Pearson details how the campaign is turning a corner, how the Voice would function, and how it would complement state treaty processes. "I am getting a good feeling about the campaign now. I myself...

Noel Pearson urges voters to "let go of political party affiliations" and support the Indigenous voice

Liberal, National and teal voters across New South Wales will be targeted by campaigners for the Indigenous voice to parliament, as its biggest advocates urge voters against following party politics on the issue. Advocates will push the values underpinning the proposal and the need to listen...

Australians are optimistic about the Voice in the face of misinformation: Thomas Mayo

The polls are where they are, and social media platforms are full of the content we’ve come to expect. When talking with ordinary Australians, the sense of where this campaign is at is quite different. From these conversations I know two things: we must not...

Julie Bishop backs Indigenous voice as ‘step in the right direction’

The former foreign affairs minister and Deputy Liberal leader, Julie Bishop, has called for Australians to support the Indigenous voice referendum, warning that existing policies aren’t working to close the gap. Bishop, who was deputy leader of the Liberal party for 11 years, said many Indigenous people she...

Productivity Commission finds Australian governments making Indigenous disadvantage worse

Government decisions do not reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's priorities and exacerbate, rather than remedy, disadvantage and discrimination, according to a scathing new report from the Productivity Commission. The Productivity Commission's first review of the 2020 national Closing the Gap agreement says some...