Voice to Parliament: New JWS Research poll shows growth in Australians voting No at referendum

New poll shows support for the Voice to Parliament continues to decline – as Anthony Albanese again rejects calls to abandon the referendum

New survey on how people will vote for the Voice
Support for the Voice dropped from 51 per cent to 46 per cent
Previous supporters and undecided voters said they’d vote No

By Ashley Nickel For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 04:08 BST, 24 June 2023 | Updated: 04:08 BST, 24 June 2023

A new poll has found support for the Voice is dwindling as undecided voters turn to the No vote and previous supporters switch sides.

New data from JWS Research found favour for the Voice has dropped from 51 per cent in February to 46 per cent.

The news follows Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s decision on Thursday to turn down the Opposition’s suggestion to legislate the Voice rather than have it fail at a referendum later this year.

The Yes campaign, led by Mr Albanese, claims the Voice will help unite Australia by giving Indigenous Australians a say in policies that affect their communities.

However, the No campaign, led by Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, says the actual powers the Voice will hold haven’t been made clear and it will only provide ‘symbolic’ change.

A new survey found previous supporters of the Voice and undecided voters are looking to vote No at the October referendum (pictured, ‘No’ leader Jacinta Nampijinpa Price)

THE REFERENDUM QUESTION

In October, Australians will be asked:

‘A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve of this proposed alteration?’

If Australians vote Yes, the following changes will be made to the Constitution:

There shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions powers and procedures.

The JWS survey found the growth in opposition to the Voice is larger than the number of people dropping their support, the Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.

This means the No vote is not only gaining people who previously thought they’d vote Yes, but also people who were previously undecided.

The data also showed men were more likely to oppose the Voice than women, with 50 per cent of men planning to vote No compared to 37 per cent of women.

A lot more men were also determined in which way they’d vote with only eight per cent undecided compared to 14 per cent of women.

Survey analyst John Scales said the results could see the Yes party regret taking the Voice to a referendum.

‘The Voice campaign is starting to resemble the 2016 eight-week long Turnbull election – something voters neither wanted nor asked for,’ he said.

One key state that saw the biggest switch in votes since February was NSW.

Earlier this year, 52 per cent of voters said they would vote Yes in the upcoming referendum but that number fell to 41 per cent, while the No vote jumped from 32 per cent to 47 per cent.

The No vote in Queensland rose from 38 per cent in February to 46 per cent while Yes fell from 48 per cent to 45 per cent.

The only state where the Yes vote saw a jump in support was Western Australia where 11 per cent more voters said they’d back the Voice, bringing the state total to 61 per cent.

Mr Albanese responded to the news during a press conference on Saturday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (above) responded to the survey results on Saturday, saying ‘the Voice will be about giving Indigenous Australians a voice that can be listened to’

‘There’s a different poll every day,’ he told reporters from Marrickville, Sydney.

‘Every poll, including the one mentioned today, has the Yes vote higher than the No vote.’

He continued: ‘We have an eight-year life expectancy gap in this country [between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians].

‘We have worse health outcomes for Indigenous Australians. There is a greater chance of a young Indigenous man going to jail than going to university.

‘What this [the Voice] is about is doing things with Indigenous Australians… By listening to get better outcomes, to get better policies, that’s what good policy making is about.

‘The Voice will be about giving Indigenous Australians a voice that can be listened to, that can then be taken into better policy to make a difference, to close the gap.

‘We have to do better.’

What we know about the Voice to Parliament so far

Here, Daily Mail Australia looks at some of the key questions about the Voice so far, and how the government has tackled them:

What kind of advice can the Voice provide the Parliament and Government?

The Voice will advise on matters that directly relate to Indigenous people.

It will respond to requests made by the government, while also having the power to engage proactively on matters that they believe impact them.

The group will have its own resources to research matters and engage with communities at a grassroots level to ensure it is best reflecting their needs.

How will members of the Voice be chosen?

Members of the Voice will be appointed by Indigenous communities and will serve on the committee for a fixed period of time, yet to be determined.

The way the communities choose their representatives will be agreed upon by the local communities in tandem with the government as part of a ‘post referendum process’ to ensure cultural legitimacy.

Who can become a member of the committee?

Members of the Voice must be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

They will be chosen from across each state and territory and have balanced gender representation nationally.

The government has also guaranteed that young people will be included in the committee to ensure representation across the broad scope of the community.

Will the Voice be transparent?

The government states the Voice will be subject to scrutiny and reporting requirements to ensure it is held accountable and remains transparent.

Voice members will be held to standards of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and will be sanctioned or removed from the committee if there are any findings of misconduct.

Will the Voice have veto power?

No.

Will the Voice work independently of other government bodies?

The committee must respect the work and role of existing organisations, the government says.

Will the Voice handle any funds?

The Voice will not directly manage any money or deliver any services to the community.

Its sole role will be in making representations about improving existing government programs and services, and advising on new ideas coming through the parties.

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk