“Mainstream Australians have shattered the elitist disinformation campaign that says, ‘if you oppose the Indigenous-only Voice to Parliament you are a racist’,” said Morgan Begg, Director of the Legal Rights Program at the Institute of Public Affairs.
New research conducted by the IPA, asked 1,000 Australians for their opinions on the proposed Indigenous-only Voice to Parliament. When asked; “Is it racist for someone to oppose the Indigenous-only Voice to Parliament?”
- 50% said No
- 28% were Unsure
- 23% said Yes
When asked; “There should be a separate entity in the federal parliament, solely comprised of Indigenous Australians, to advise on all laws for every Australian.”
- 38% Agree
- 34% Disagree
- 28% were Unsure
Only a minority of respondents in each state indicated support for the Voice to Parliament proposal.
The survey enriches recent polling conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age by Resolve Strategic and The Guardian by Essential Research. Both surveys found 64% and 63% of Australians, respectively, support the Voice to Parliament when asked in vague terms.
“This shows that Australians are sympathetic to the Voice when the question put to them is vague, but support rapidly plummets when the question contains details about what the Voice will likely mean in practice,” Mr Begg said.
“This is exactly why the Albanese Government is refusing to provide the community with details about the Voice, because they know that support drops when there is transparency about what the Voice to Parliament will do.”
Finally, the IPA poll asked Australians; “The National Party of Australia’s announcement that it is officially opposed to the Indigenous-only Voice to Parliament is a good thing for Australian democracy as it ensures there will now be a debate on the matter.”
- 50% Agree
- 32% are Unsure
- 18% Disagree
When sorted by voting intention, the survey found that 83% of National Party voters approve of their federal parliamentary representatives’ decision to oppose the Voice. “Mainstream Australians are deeply concerned about the legal and cultural consequences of the proposed Voice to Parliament. This is why it is critically important that the debate about the Voice is free and fair, and all sides are treated with respect and have their opinions heard,” said Mr Begg.
