The Yes campaign for the Voice in Parliament of indigenous people of Australia has launched a $20m advertising blitz as it holds ‘Walk for Yes’ rallies around the country.
The campaign will cover TV, digital, radio and print, featuring a young Indigenous boy who asks if he will “grow up in a country that hears my voice”.
The campaign is intended to point viewers to the statistics that show the extent of the disadvantage Indigenous communities face.
Its launch coincides with the Walk For Yes, which has been organised in major cities across the country on Saturday and Sunday and will feature performances by Dan Sultan, Missy Higgins and Paul Kelly.
They will be joined by Indigenous leaders and senior ministers, with thousands expected to turn up in support of the campaign.
PM Anthony Albanese stressed that that the yes campaign will continue to stay positive in the final weeks before the vote.
“What we need to do to secure a vote for yes is to continue to run a positive campaign,” he said.
“We will continue to present this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lift up this and future generations and to close the gap.”
The Yes23 director, Dean Parkin, said he hoped the new ad explains why a successful yes vote would be the “best shot we have” at addressing the disadvantage Indigenous communities face.
“A successful yes vote will make a real and practical difference for Indigenous people,” Parkin said.
“As more and more Australians start to tune in, we are explaining to the community that this referendum is simply about recognising the First Peoples of this nation and listening to them so we can better address longstanding problems.”