Australia announced the date for an indigenous people’s referendum on Wednesday as polls indicate declining public support for the country’s Labor government.
In an address to a rally in Adelaide, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “Today I announce that referendum day will be 14 October.”
He spoke as Peter Dutton, leader of Australia’s opposition Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party, sent a fundraising email to supporters, asking for donations to help the party oppose the referendum.
“The result will be close. The 'yes' campaign are backed by big unions and corporations. We know they will spend many millions on advertising. We need your support to push back and defeat this risky and divisive voice,” the email read.
In the October 14 event, voters will be asked whether they agree to “alter the Constitution to recognize the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice”.
A recent Newspoll, conducted for an Australian newspaper, has Labor’s primary vote dropping by two points to 36 percent.
In another development, Michelle Marquardt from the Australian Bureau of Statistics told reporters that "The rise in annual living costs for employee households is the largest increase since this series started in 1999."
A separate survey indicated that Prime Minister Albanese’s approval rating has plummeted to its lowest since the center-left-leaning Labor party came to power last year, even though he prevails Dutton as preferred prime minister.
Support for the government has also declined from 40 to 39 percent, amid growing voter pessimism about the state of the national economy and the upcoming debates regarding the Australian First Peoples referendum, according to the poll.