Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has played down the threat Indigenous opponents of a Voice to Parliament pose to the referendum's success, saying he's not surprised "some radicals" are campaigning against it.
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Mr Albanese has also outlined the sequence of legislation which will proceed the public vote in the second half of the year.
This year's Australia Day protest rallies laid bare the different views among First Nations people about an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
The organisers of the Canberra protest and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy used the local event to criticise the Voice and demand treaty and truth-telling be prioritised over a group to advise government and Parliament.
Similar sentiments were expressed at rallies in other capital cities, including in Melbourne, where the most prominent Voice sceptic on the progressive side of politics, Greens senator Lidia Thorpe, was front and centre.
Asked on Friday if loud opposition to the Voice from some activists could harm the referendum's chances of success, Mr Albanese appeared to downplay their influence.
"It (the Voice) is not a radical proposition, so I'm not surprised that some radicals are opposed to it ... because this is a mainstream proposition," he told reporters in Tasmania.
"This is a modest and gracious request for reconciliation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples."
The Prime Minister's comments came as the lead group supporting the Voice published polling which found strong support among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the proposal.
Some 80 per cent of the 300 people surveyed in the past week supported a constitutionally enshrined Voice, according to polling conducted for the Uluru Dialogue by research firm Ipsos.
Just 10 per cent were opposed, with the remaining 10 per cent undecided.
Uluru Dialogue co-chair Pat Anderson said the polling showed First Nations people "overwhelmingly" supported a Voice, as she urged voters not to be swayed by a "noisy few" at this year's referendum.
"Too often grassroots First Nations voices are drowned out by one or two outspoken people, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, who claim to speak for us," she said.
"This is exactly why we need a Voice. To make sure the voices of First Nations people in our communities are heard."
Having confirmed the referendum will be held in the second half of the year, Mr Albanese on Friday outlined the sequence of events which will play out before Australians head to the polls.
A bill to modernise the running of referendums is expected to pass when Parliament returns next month.
That will be followed by the introduction of legislation setting out the proposed change to the constitution, which will be subject to the scrutiny of a parliamentary inquiry.
Once that passes, the referendum must be held on a Saturday and in the period between three and six months after the legislation passes, Mr Albanese said.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
