Anthony Albanese has reaffirmed he won’t commit to a date for the referendum on a Voice to parliament just yet as the Garma Festival kicks off in the Northern Territory.
Australians are expected to have their say between September and December in the first referendum of this century.
However, the Prime Minister has confirmed it won’t be held on AFL grand final day on September 30.
Voters will be asked whether they approve of altering the Constitution to “recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice”.
Speaking at the Garma Festival in north Arnhem Land on Friday, Mr Albanese said he wouldn’t be using the annual conference as a platform to announce the date of the upcoming referendum.
“I confirmed one year ago after the speech, I confirmed certainly what a timetable looked like last year,” Mr Albanese said.
“I said there would be draft legislation in March and there was. I said there would be a parliamentary committee process and there was.
“I said it would report in June, and then it was carried by the parliament to have a referendum.
“A referendum has to take place between two months and 33 days and six months of the Bill being passed, so that takes it to between September and December.”
He explained the date would be formally announced once consultation had finished.
“One of the things I will be doing this weekend is speaking with people here as I have around the country respectfully about their view of the day,” Mr Albanese said.
“There has not been a referendum held this century which is why I don’t think people want a date announce many months in advance and then a day-to-day campaign.
“There will be a focus in the weeks leading up to people voting.”
According to the latest Newspoll measuring the sentiment towards the voice referendum, the Yes vote slumped to 41 per cent in July, with the No vote increasing to 48 per cent.
Eleven per cent of the 1570 people surveyed said they were undecided.