A conservative lobby group behind the main "no" campaign against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament has boasted it's raised $500,000 for its cause, after a wealthy backer matched supporters' donations.
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Advance Australia, which gained notoriety for its controversial attack ads against independent candidates during the federal election, has also claimed credit for bringing Peter Dutton and the Liberals "on board".
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton last Wednesday announced the Liberal Party would be formally opposed to the Voice.
The ruling, however, would be non-binding for backbenchers, with some Liberal MPs publicly announcing they would cross the floor.
Australians will be asked to vote yes or no over whether they would support the Voice and recognise Indigenous people in the constitution later this year.
The Labor government struck a deal with the Coalition in March, agreeing to allow official pamphlets for either side but would not providing Commonwealth funding for the campaigns.
It means both the "yes" and "no" campaigns will need to raise their own funds as they attempt to sway voters to either side.
In an email to supporters on Thursday afternoon, Advance Australia's executive director Matthew Sheahan thanked donors, announcing the group had exceeded the $250,000 target.
Simon Fenwick, former fund manager, and board member of right-wing think tank Institute of Public Affairs, had matched the sum dollar for dollar, he said.
"All the evidence is in front of your eyes: the Voice is not modest, it's not unifying. It's divisive and dangerous," Mr Sheahan said.
"Everyone knows it. That's why you and I are fighting it. For the good of the country. And we're glad to have Peter Dutton and the Liberals on board."
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Mr Fenwick has previously donated significant funds to the firebrand group, election records showing his jointly-owned company, Silver River Investment Holdings Pty Ltd, gave the group $650,000 in the 2020-21 financial year.
Another $50,000 was donated less than a month before the 2022 federal election.
Cartwright Investment Corp Pty Ltd ATF Burleigh Trust, owned by Mr Fenwick's wife, Elizabeth, also donated $690,000 to Advance Australia across the three financial years to 2020-21.
Advance Australia is behind the No to the Voice campaign, Fair Australia, led by its former spokesperson and Nationals senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
Despite being a self-described "grassroots movement", former prime minister Tony Abbott is reportedly advising the group.
Meta records show Advance Australia has spent more than $70,000 on Facebook advertising over the last three months while Fair Australia has spent nearly $10,000.
Both groups have targeted their efforts toward social media users aged 45 and over with the most money being spent on ads shown in Queensland.
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