The main voices in the ‘No’ campaign for Australia’s Indigenous Voice referendum are coming together. 

Indigenous leaders in Australia have joined forces to oppose a proposal to constitutionally recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

Warren Mundine, a former Labor Party national president and Indigenous leader, and a group backed by shadow Indigenous Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, will pool their resources for a joint ‘No’ campaign to be called ‘Australians for Unity’. 

The campaign aims to defeat the upcoming referendum, which would establish a Voice to Parliament committee that can advise lawmakers on matters affecting Indigenous people. 

Mundine and Price argue that the Voice would not address the underlying issues affecting Indigenous communities and would create more bureaucracy. 

Indigenous Australians make up about 3.2 per cent of the population but are not mentioned in the 122-year-old constitution. 

While a YouGov poll last month showed that 83 per cent of Indigenous Australians would vote for the constitutional change, not all First Nations people support the plans. 

The LNP opposition is also opposing the national vote. 

The referendum requires a majority of votes nationally, as well as a majority of votes in at least four of the six states to pass. 

Australia has only passed eight out of 44 referendums since it became independent, with the most recent one being in 1977. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has staked much of his political capital on the referendum. 

The establishment of a representative Voice is seen as a way to recognise Indigenous Australians and address the socio-economic disparities they face. 

However, some Indigenous leaders argue that a treaty and truth-telling process should come first before the introduction of a representative Voice in parliament. 

The upcoming referendum is likely to be held between October and December.