Wagga no campaign ramps up as former councillor Paul Funnell announces first major event with Malcolm Roberts

Former Wagga councillor Paul Funnell is behind a Voice to Parliament "no" campaign event to be held in the city ahead of polling day on October 14.

Queensland One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts will be the keynote speaker at the function at the Wagga Civic Theatre on Tuesday, September 26.

A constitutional law expert will also speak at the free event, which Mr Funnell said would be more than just a lecture.

"I hope people will come along to the event and listen to Senator Roberts put forward a case for the "no" campaign ... and people can make their mind up from there," he said.

Mr Funnell said people with questions would also have the chance to raise them, with a Q&A session also incorporated into the event.

"We're not just here to preach to the converted, that's not what it's about and hopefully it will be an informative evening," he said.

On October 14, Australians will vote on whether to change the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

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People will be asked to vote "yes" or "no" to the question: "A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?"

Voice advocate and AFL legend Michael Long, who walked through Wagga at the weekend as part of his Long Walk from Melbourne to Canberra to raise awareness, has called for unity on the issue.

"It's about moving forward as a country, but you need to have a voice, you need to have a vision, so let's try and put an enormous dent in closing the gap," Mr Long said during his Wagga visit.

The former Essendon footballer urged people to seek out the truth on what the Uluru Statement - which calls for a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution - is all about.

"It's a statement from the heart of Aboriginal people to the government and to all of Australia," he said.

"I hope people will find out the truth of what this is really about. If you read the Uluru Statement, it's about moving forward and recognising our history, but also moving forward as one as a country."

Mr Funnell believed the referendum is "race-based" and "dividing the nation". He argued it is not the solution to closing the gap.

"We must enter into any of these things with the spirit of compassion and empathy for those worse off than ourselves ... [but] this referendum hasn't divided black and white, it's divided black and black and white and white," he said.

"It's divided every sector of the community and that's because there's no detail."

The results of a new survey of referendum day intentions, published this week, have revealed support for the Voice across major cities and regional areas has fallen to not much more than a third of voters as the "no" vote grows to more than 60 per cent.

The exclusive survey of more than 8600 people by ACM, the publisher of The Daily Advertiser, showed only 34 per cent of voters expressing support for the proposal to alter the Constitution to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, compared to 61 per cent who say they intend to vote "no" at the referendum. Just 5 per cent say they are still undecided.

The issuing of the writ for the referendum on Monday set the process in motion, with postal vote applications now open. Early voting will begin across NSW on October 3.

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