The co-founder of a multi-billion dollar investment company has thrown his fortune behind an organization that opposes the Indigenous vote in parliament.
The ‘Vote No’ campaign, led by Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and supported by the coalition party, is funded by the conservative group Advance, which recently received $250,000 in donations.
Simon Fenwick, the co-founder of US-based International Value Advisors, pledged to match the total amount of donations and donate $250,000 from his own pocket.
Advance Executive Director Matthew Sheahan praised Mr Fenwick’s generosity in an email to supporters and seen by The Australian Financial Review.
“All the evidence is before your eyes: the voice is not humble, it is not unifying,” he said.
“It’s divisive and dangerous.”
Mr Fenwick is now retired, having worked at EY in Australia and donated $1 million to the Conservative political group in 2020.
Another major backer of the No campaign is Blackmore’s major shareholder Marcus Blackmore, whose father started the vitamin giant in the 1930s.
A key pillar of the campaign voting no to an Indigenous vote in parliament is Blackmore’s major shareholder Marcus Blackmore (pictured) – whose father started the vitamin giant
There was a call to boycott Blackmores after Mr Blackmore said he would vote against The Voice
The boycott hashtag was trending on Twitter in February and sparked lively debate
In February, Mr Blackmore stated publicly that he would vote no to the referendum on the Indigenous vote in parliament.
His announcement sent the hashtag “BoycottBlackmores” skyrocketing to the top of Twitter’s trending list as people vowed to avoid the company’s products or argued why it shouldn’t matter.
“If Jacinta (Price) says I should vote no, I’ll vote no. She clearly knows a lot more about Aboriginal issues than I do,” Mr Blackmore told the AFR at the time.
“I’m not convinced by the Prime Minister or anyone else that I should vote yes. It is no different in business. If you’re not good at selling, hire a salesperson.”
The business tycoon reportedly donated $35,000 to Advance and more than $70,000 to the coalition in the past fiscal year.
A spokesperson for the Blackmores Group said at the time that Mr Blackmore’s views did not match those of the company and that he had not worked or been a director in the vitamin business for more than two years.
“His views are completely separate from Blackmores Group,” the spokesman said.
“Blackmores is committed to supporting the health and well-being of all people and values and celebrates diversity, inclusion and equality for employees, customers, partners and those in the community.”
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s ‘vote no’ campaign is funded by conservative group Advance, which recently received $250,000 in donations
Senator Price’s ‘no’ campaign urges Aussies to vote against the changes she has labeled ‘dangerous’, ‘divisive’, ‘useless’ and ‘precious’.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said the Liberal Party would oppose The Voice.
The Liberal Party supports the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the constitution, but not an entrenched national voice in the constitution, while Mr Dutton dismisses it as a future Canberra bureaucracy in the making.
A ‘Vote Yes’ campaign for The Voice has also been launched, backed by a $5 million donation from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
Senator Price is concerned that the issues facing Indigenous Australians are not being addressed by The Voice.
“The fundamental principle of all this is the fact that I don’t believe we need this in our constitution to actually do what it says,” the Northern Territory senator told ABC’s Radio National on Tuesday.
“I mean, if the government is so confident that their model is going to work, they can legislate it right now if they want to.
“What is happening is that we are having this debate, which is a distraction from the issues that are currently on the ground.
“The problems on the ground are not effectively addressed because the emphasis is on representation in Canberra.”
