Huge AFL Grand Final snub for Voice ‘Yes’ campaign
The AFL have reportedly ruled out promoting The Voice on the big final day after the league commission warned of an eleventh-hour push.
The AFL and NRL in May declared their support for the Indigenous Voice referendum in parliament, with the grand finale of both codes due to take place before the October 14 vote.
Nine newspapers reported on Wednesday that senior government officials expected the events to carry the message of the Yes campaign to millions of viewers.
But an AFL spokesperson told Nine News that the country’s biggest sports organization had refused to broadcast voice broadcasts on match day, Saturday September 30.
The commission’s directive was reportedly that the AFL would not actively campaign in the September final series.
The AFL Grand Final takes place just a fortnight before all Australians go to the polls to vote yes or no in the Voice referendum.
Senior sources familiar with the committee’s decision said clubs and individual players would still be free to do so if they so wished.
Yes, campaign sources told Nine that a big last-day push could risk a backlash from fans who did not support the mixing of sport and politics.
“People just want to watch football,” one of the sources told Nine, while another said the AFL ruling would not be breached.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has already denounced the so-called ‘elites’ of the AFL and NRL for their public support for the Yes campaign earlier this year.
“Their fans are really wondering why sports elites… are taking a stand in The Voice,” Mr Dutton said.
The Voice campaign has garnered support from several current and former high profile players, including Michael Long from Essedon.
Long is currently walking from Melbourne to Canberra to drum up support for The Voice, and said this week he would also petition the King.
As for the NRL, which has also publicly supported The Voice, a spokesperson told Nine Papers that major final plans have not been “finalised”.
The Voice campaign has garnered the support of several current and former high profile players, including Michael Long of Essedon.
A source close to the league’s plans said the NRL was drawing up plans to support the Yes campaign with one or more events ahead of the vote.
“The AFL are better in optics, there’s no doubt about it, but they’re currently finding excuses not to get on board,” the source said.
Union sources further told the media that the decision to hold the referendum on October 14 was at least partly motivated by the grand final.
Various ideas to promote the Voice at the events were reportedly discussed, including a boundary advertisement and a recitation.
