Support for enshrining an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the constitution has drastically slipped, with a new pol revealing a majority of states on track to vote “no”.
The latest Newspoll, conducted for The Australian, shows the referendum is on track for defeat, with support for the “Yes” vote slipping four points to a new low of just 43 per cent.
The “No” vote meanwhile rose four points to 47 per cent.
The latest poll also reveals Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s personal approval ratings have fallen to their lowest level since the election.
Popular support for Labor remains unchanged at 38 per cent to the Coalition’s small increase to 35 per cent.
With the referendum expected anytime between October and December, the latest polling shows the “Yes” campaign has a long way to go if it is to meet the requirements to change the constitution by getting a majority of people in a majority of states to vote “yes”.
The Newspoll suggests four of the six states will vote “no”, with NSW and Victoria now the only states likely to vote decisively for “yes”.
The sharpest fall in support for the Voice was in the 35-49 bracket, where there was a seven point fall.
The only demographic where the “Yes” vote is still above 50 per cent is university graduates aged 18 to 34. The poll suggests women are more likely to vote for constitutional change, but support still lingers below 50 per vent.
The poll results comes as the legislation setting up the referendum passed the parliament, and after a week dominated by Coalition questioning on the scope of the Voice.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton last week ramped up his rhetoric, suggesting Labor should delay the Voice vote because Australian’s weren’t “ready” to vote in the referendum.
Mr Dutton instead proposed the government legislate the voice, and enshrine constitutional recognition without the body to get more people over the line.
“We believe that’s the moment that the Prime Minister should grasp, because the Australian public is not ready to vote for the Voice,” he said on Thursday.
Mr Albanese once again rejected those calls on the weekend, conceding it would “undoubtedly” be a setback for reconciliation if the vote failed.
“As I said at the Garma Festival a year ago, if not now, when? Federation is 122 years old, it is more than half century since Indigenous Australians were counted in the 1967 referendum,” Mr Albanese told Sky News on Sunday.
“Of course, the parliament can change legislation at any time affecting the Voice.
“But what we want to do is to get as much consensus as possible around the structure and the functions and operation of the Voice, including over its composition and the final format.”