Indigenous voice opponents say Labor is being ‘disingenuous’ on funding for campaigns

Opponents of the voice to parliament claim the federal government is being "disingenuous" by declining to provide public funding to the respective sides of the debate, but say the growing no campaign will reach out to corporate Australia for funding.

The main campaign vehicle in favour of Indigenous constitutional recognition has backed the proposed amendments to laws governing referendums, as well as promising a major escalation in their campaigning early in 2023.

"The beginning of the year is the time to amplify and accelerate the information for the yes case," said Dean Parkin, the director of the From the Heart group and CEO of Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition.

"We've got many people champing at the bit to be involved."

The federal government last week proposed amendments to the Referendum Machinery Act, the legislation governing referenda, to increase donation disclosure requirements, as well as ban foreign funding and campaigners. The government has declined to give public funding to either campaign, and proposes to remove requirements for taxpayer-funded pamphlets containing 2,000-word essays from the respective campaigns to be mailed to households.

Parkin backed the changes, calling some current provisions "archaic" and the amendments "sensible". But Warren Mundine, the chairman of CPAC Australia and a prominent influence in the no campaign, criticised the government for making Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition a deductible gift recipient (DGR) for tax-free charitable gift status, but not an equivalent opposition group.

"There were rumours always floating around that the government wasn't going to support financial funding for the campaigns. That didn't surprise me, but it is a bit disingenuous because they gave tax-free status for the yes campaign but haven't done it for the no side," he told Guardian Australia.

The shadow special minister of state, Jane Hume, claimed the scrapping of the official pamphlet was "worrying" and could give rise to further referendum misinformation.

Parkin said information would be given clearly through channels such as TV, social media and online.

While large corporations, unions, state governments and celebrities have pledged support for the yes case, the no side has not yet publicly shown its hand to the same extent. Advance, a conservative campaign group, and the Institute of Public Affairs said on Friday they planned to play prominent roles in the referendum.

Several other organisations, including Mundine's CPAC, are coalescing around a no campaign, which is expected to ramp up from early February. Mundine said he expected large corporate groups and donors to declare their opposition to the voice, and said no campaigners were in discussions for businesses to host guest speakers for presentations from their side.

Advance came to prominence through a series of stunts targeting the Warringah MP, Zali Steggall, in the 2019 and 2022 federal elections, as well as prominent billboards campaigning against transgender women in female sports and climate change action.

The Coalition senator Jacinta Price, whose advocacy against the voice was a key factor in the Nationals' decision this week to oppose the referendum, formerly acted as a spokesperson for Advance.

"Advance is building the most powerful centre-right movement this country has ever seen, to fight their voice referendum with an overwhelming dose of their own medicine," a spokesperson told Guardian Australia.

"Mainstream Australians are appalled at plans by Labor and professional activists to make race the centrepiece of our constitution and are disappointed at the tone of the debate so far."

The group said it received "tens of thousands of grassroots donations", including a recent pledge of $1m.

The special minister of state Don Farrell's office was approached for comment on whether the donation disclosures for the referendum would be retrospective and apply to funds received before the laws are enacted.

Advance launched a series of Facebook ads on Thursday, claiming the referendum would "cement identity politics" into the constitution and would lead to "one race of people with special rights and privilege". The social media graphics prominently feature images of Price and Tony Abbott.

Daniel Wild, the deputy executive director of the IPA, said his organisation would not campaign directly, but instead provide research and guidance to the no side.

Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition will be one of the main convening groups for organisations backing the yes case, providing guidance and research to supporters to conduct their own campaigns. Parkin said the yes side too would amplify from early 2023 - from national advertising to community-level doorknocking efforts.

"We've had to hold people back and say 'wait until the processes are sorted' and we've got more information to disseminate," he said.