More than half of Australians would reject the inclusion of an Indigenous advisory panel in the constitution, according to a newspaper poll conducted by The Australian. The poll revealed that support for a “Voice to Parliament,” which would establish an Indigenous committee to advise the federal parliament, continues to slide. Only 38% of voters surveyed intended to support the proposal, while around 53% opposed it. Australia is now facing a six-week campaign leading up to the referendum on October 14, where voters will decide whether they support altering the constitution to establish an Indigenous committee.

The referendum requires a national majority of votes as well as a majority of votes in at least four of the six states to change the constitution. Since Australia’s independence in 1901, only eight out of the 44 proposals for constitutional change have been approved.

The centre-left Labor government is under pressure to improve its messaging due to a steady decline in support for the referendum in opinion polls. Anthony Albanese, who has staked significant political capital on the referendum, saw his approval ratings fall into negative territory for the first time since becoming the country’s prime minister last year. Despite this, Labor still enjoys a lead of 53-47% on a two-party preferred basis, although that is a decline from the previous poll.

The support for the conservative coalition opposition has risen to its highest level since the May 2022 election, leading Labor 37% to 35% on primary votes.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has stated that if the Voice referendum fails, he would hold a second referendum on Indigenous recognition; however, he would not support a constitutionally-enshrined body. This statement has drawn criticism from the Voice support group, with Albanese accusing Dutton of planning the sequel while trying to sabotage the original referendum.