How the Voice ’yes’ and ’no’ camps have sold their messages

Expertise, familiarity and likeability are pitted against 10 reasons to vote no in the pamphlets for and against the Voice to Parliament, writes Associate Professor Tom van Laer from the University of Sydney Business School. The Australian Electoral Commission has just published the "yes" and "no" pamphlets for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum. So who is the target audience for each case, what are their key messages, and how effective will they be? I research how people and organisations use communication to effect change via, for example, entertainment or political advertising. When I look at the "yes" and "no" case pamphlets, there are aspects of each that stand out. Battle of the pamphlets. The "yes" pamphlet leans on the value of expertise to help voters decide. We hear from a senator and elder, a school principal, a filmmaker, the co-chair of the Uluru Dialogues, a former High Court Chief Justice, a professor, three former sports professionals, and numerous members of the Order of Australia.