In a bombshell development it has been revealed that just 41 per cent of voters plan to vote yes in the Voice to parliament referendum and for the first time women are now more likely than men to vote no, according to the latest Newspoll.
A Newspoll commissioned by The Australian and conducted by YouGov shows 38 per cent of female voters intend to vote in favour of enshrining an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution and 49 per cent intend to vote no. Thirteen per cent don’t know.
That is a 10-point fall in support in the past three weeks among women.
Support among male voters has increased with 45 per cent indicating they will vote yes (a seven-point increase) and 47 per cent planning to vote no, while eight per cent don’t know.
Overall, 41 per cent of Australian voters say they will vote yes, 48 per cent are opposed and 11 per cent don’t know.
Three weeks earlier, the Newspoll showed 43 per cent supported the Voice and six weeks ago, 46 per cent were in support.
The latest Newspoll was conducted between July 12 and July 15 and surveyed 1570 voters throughout Australia.
The Albanese government is yet to confirm the exact date of the referendum (sometime between October and December), but any referendum must be held on a Saturday.
Australians will be asked to vote on the question: “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?”
The official pamphlet containing both “yes” and “no” arguments written by politicians will be published by the Australian Electoral Commission on Tuesday.
Labor was joined by the Greens, some Liberals, and independent crossbenchers in producing the 2000 word essay arguing for the Voice.
Meanwhile, the opposition’s spokesperson for Indigenous Australians, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, was pulling together the “No” pamphlet with contributions by Liberals, the Nationals, and likely some crossbenchers.
The latest Newspoll also shows popular support for Labor has fallen to its lowest level nationally since the 2022 election, which it won with base support of 32.6 per cent.
The party’s primary vote has fallen two points since the last Newspoll three weeks ago to 36 per cent.
There was a three-point rise in support for minor parties and independents.