‘Crossing the line’: Warren Mundine accuses Australian Electoral Commission of favouring Yes campaign ahead of referendum

    Prominent Voice to Parliament opponent Warren Mundine has accused the Australian Electoral Commission of favouring the Yes campaign ahead of the referendum.

    Warren Mundine has accused the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) of promoting the Yes campaign for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament through a series of advertisements.

    The AEC has been ramping up its efforts to increase enrolment, particularly in Indigenous communities, ahead of the referendum later this year. As many as 110,000 Indigenous Australians are not enrolled to vote, according to the AEC.

    But some advertisements used to drive enrolment, has drawn criticism from leading No campaigners.

    The images in question feature a map of Australia with Indigenous art designs, behind First Nations people wearing shirts with the words “Our vote, our future” emblazoned on them.

    Mr Mundine has since submitted a complaint to the AEC, describing the advertisement as a “step too far” and that it crosses the line of impartiality.

    “They’ve got this ad going out and on this ad it talks about the Voice in a positive way and it has a bloke promoting the Voice in a photo,” he told Radio National.

    “How anyone could interpret that as just getting people to enrol to vote is beyond me.”

    Host Patricia Karvelas pushed back, noting the advertisement does not say “vote yes” and that the statement “it’s our vote and our future” is arguably not contestable.

    Mr Mundine said it’s a very “subtle way of promoting the Voice”, arguing the lines used are coming out of the Yes campaign.

    “It should be quite clear that this is about enrolment, this is not about anything else. And they have got to stick to that,” he responded.

    “The AEC has got to be very careful about how it’s promoting this stuff, it’s got to be very impartial.

    “I do not see this as impartial.”

    The AEC announced this week that it intends to deliver a nationwide public information campaign ahead of the following concerns of widespread disinformation online.

    Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers addressed the matter at a Senates estimates hearing on Tuesday, highlighting how the upcoming Voice referendum faces a significantly different landscape compared to the 1999 referendum, given the omnipresent role played by social media.

    Mr Rogers emphasised that the revised approach to the referendum process would focus on making the public better equipped to separate legitimate news sources from both misinformation and disinformation.

    This will be seen through a “Stop and Consider” campaign that educates voters to consider the source of information they come across.

    Meanwhile Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he is “very confident” that Australians will support the Voice.

    “Now, if we listen to people and engage with Indigenous Australians, we will get better outcomes,” he told 101.7 WSFM on Thursday.

    Australia needs genuine debate about ‘practical issues’ with Voice
    “I’m quite pleased that the National Rugby League and the AFL and the Football Federation, Cricket Australia are all saying yes to reconciliation and yes to the referendum that will be held later this year.

    “It is vital that it succeed and I am hopeful. Some of the scare campaigns and misinformation that’s out there, of course we expect to deal with.”

    Australians last voted at a referendum in 1999, which was whether or not to become a republic, with the majority opting to remain as a constitutional monarchy.

    The “No” vote received a majority nationally and in all states and territories except the ACT.

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