Key points
- New Yes campaign ad for the upcoming referendum launches today, but it doesn't mention the Indigenous Voice
- Campaign director Dean Parkin says the focus is on constitutional recognition and giving Indigenous peoples a say
- It comes after no campaign group Fair Australia launched an ad featuring Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and her family last week
As the Indigenous Voice referendum campaign heats up, both the Yes and No campaigns have launched new advertisements – with very different strategies.
Here’s a breakdown of the messages these campaigns are trying to send voters as they prepare to hit the polls at the end of the year.
Yes for constitutional recognition
The Yes23 campaign, led by the group Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, launched the first piece of its new national advertising campaign today - but it is almost entirely without mention of the Voice.
The 30-second television ad focuses squarely on recognising Indigenous people in Australia’s constitution and says Australians have a chance to give First Nations people a 'real say' through the upcoming referendum.
The ad blitz has been called the ‘Join Us’ campaign, and advocates want it to highlight the referendum as a chance to unite the Australian community rather than divide it.
It features appearances from Arrernte Elder Aunty Sabella Turner and Awabakal man John 'Choc' Anderson, with a voice-over by Gadigal Elder Uncle Allen Madden.
“Australia’s constitution is 122 years old and still doesn’t recognise Indigenous Australians… this year Australians have a chance to fix that with a referendum to give Indigenous Australians a real say in their future,” says Madden.
It’s a very straightforward ad, but the Voice's only mention is a brief hashtag that appears on the screen at the very end.
The common touch
Yes Campaign Alliance director Dean Parkin said the decision not to include famous faces in the ad was deliberate, as people had heard enough from politicians and lawyers over the past few months.
“It is about having a very simple and straightforward conversation with the people of Australia saying this is about recognising Indigenous peoples in the constitution and it’s about giving Indigenous peoples a say in our future,” he said.
A focus on grassroots advocacy has been a goal of the yes campaign since it officially launched in Adelaide in February, noting that the movement has been previously criticised for its links to corporate Australia.
Mr Parkin also said his team avoided focusing on the Voice because they wanted to use language that would engage people in the wider community.
"People talk about... Indigenous peoples having a say in our future. That’s the kind of language being used when you actually get out of the Canberra conversations and get out on the ground," he said.
It is clear the Yes campaign is trying to keep the Voice debate simple for voters, honing its message to the themes of 'recognition' and 'consultation'.
Mr Parkin believes the current advertisement is informative enough because the government will soon launch a non-partisan civics campaign explaining what the referendum changes will entail.
"There will be further ads that provide more information .. there will also be a government led civics education program that will be done through ads and other mediums," he said.
"People will be very clear on what they’re voting on, they’ll have all the information at their fingertips."
Advertisements for the ‘Join Us’ campaign will also be launched online and across billboards and bus stops in May.
Advancing the No campaign
Fair Australia, one of the formal No campaign movements, launched a nine-minute video last week on Sky News featuring its leader – opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
The video focused primarily on Senator Price, a Warlpiri woman, and her Scottish husband Colin Lillie.
“It’s interesting growing up in a household with two different cultures, but recognising what we had in common was always really important for us as a family,” Senator Price told viewers.
“For me and Colin, as husband and wife, and our boys, being a blended family - we’re a family. Yeah, we come from two different backgrounds, but ultimately it's love that’s brought us together, that’s ensured that we’ve been able to bring our boys up in a household that’s cared for them, that’s loved them.”
The advertisement carries a much more personal and emotional message than the Yes campaign material, centering Senator Price’s lived experience and her family to the swell of music.
But it also raised similar themes to the Yes campaign material, around fairness and unity. The video appealed to people to vote no in the interests of fairness, and because it argued the changes would divide the country by race.
“What’s important to me is that we don’t divide ourselves along the lines of race in this country, I don’t want to see my family divided along the lines of race because we’re a family of human beings and that’s the bottom line,” Senator Price said in the ad.
“This is a massive change, and it will mean that some Australians are treated differently based on the colour of their skin. “
Fair Australia said it will be airing short clips from the nine-minute video as advertisements in the coming weeks.
The campaign is run by the conservative political lobby group Advance Australia, which has long claimed a Voice to parliament would be a divisive reform.
