Albanese’s stance against public funding for yes and no voice campaigns backed by Birmingham

Coalition frontbencher Simon Birmingham says there may be a need for administrative support for the yes and no campaigns on the Indigenous voice to parliament but ‘I’m not keen to see large licks of taxpayer funding spent on running campaigns’. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

The Labor government is standing firm against calls for public funding for the yes and no campaigns for the voice to parliament referendum, even drawing backing from a Coalition frontbencher who appeared to break ranks with the Liberal leader’s stance.

Simon Birmingham said taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for campaign advertising, despite it being being a condition of opposition leader Peter Dutton’s support for the referendum bill.