The two campaigns pushing for a No vote to the forthcoming Voice to Parliament referendum have merged, in a move that is aimed at unifying their message and strengthening their campaign.
Until now, the two main groups were the Warren Mundine-led Recognise a Better Way, and Fair Australia, the group with the backing of shadow Indigenous Australians Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
The joint campaign will be called Australians for Unity, and Senator Nampijinpa Price and Mr Mundine will be campaign spokespeople.
"We're going to be running one campaign together in one focus, similar to what the Yes campaign has done to put themselves under one umbrella, and that makes for a better organisation and able to focus a lot better and support each other," Mr Mundine said.
Senator Nampijinpa Price and Mr Mundine were both originally a part of the Recognise a Better Way group, before Senator Nampijinpa Price left to front Fair Australia.
"I welcome news of the merger of campaigns, we'll be uniting to make sure every Australian learns the truth about the divisive Voice," Senator Nampijinpa Price said.
The ABC understands key elements of the reinvigorated campaign will be about hearing from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who are against the Voice to Parliament, and will call on migrant communities who are also opposed.
Tax deductions for donations
News of the merger came as the Recognise a Better Way campaign received conditional deductible gift recipient (DGR) status in the 2023 federal budget.
DGR status would have allowed people to make tax-deductible donations to the Recognise campaign – seen as a major incentive for Australians to donate to the campaign.
For the Yes campaign, Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition received DGR status in last October's budget.
Treasury officials have confirmed that just days before the latest budget was handed down, the Recognise a Better Way campaign contacted the department, and asked for its DGR proposal to be withdrawn.
When asked about the timing of the merger right as Recognise a Better Way received the sought-after tax status, Mr Mundine said: "Life is very surprising."
Under the merger, Australians for Unity will need to seek DGR status. The ABC understands this process is underway.
Mental health spend welcomed
In the federal budget, the government announced $10.5 million to increase mental health supports for First Nations people in the lead-up to the referendum.
Mr Mundine has previously raised concerns about the impact of the national debate on the mental health of Indigenous people.
He welcomed the funding commitment in the budget.
"I do congratulate the government on this," he said.
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation will receive $10 million to support the mental health of First Nations people during the campaign, which is expected to run between October and December.
Another $500,000 will be given to the Australian National University's Mayi Kuwayu research team to monitor the wellbeing of communities during this time.
"The funding highlights that the government is finally acknowledging the divisive nature of its referendum," Senator Nampijinpa Price said.
"I'd imagine non-Indigenous Australians would also have significant mental health concerns and I hope the government is able to cater for this too."
