Qantas will fly the flag for the Yes team on twin fronts in our skies, decorating three of its planes and funding the travel of campaign members.
The commercial arrangement has raised some eyebrows, including those of Adam Giles, the former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory who now runs mining magnate Gina Rinehart's agricultural empire, Hancock Agriculture and S. Kidman & Co.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said branding three of its aircraft with the Yes23 campaign logo was part of the airline's longstanding commitment to reconciliation.
The company's support of an Indigenous voice being enshrined in the constitution is aligned with several leading Australian conglomerates such as Woolworths, Wesfarmers, Rio Tinto and BHP, but providing travel for the Yes23 Campaign and Uluru Dialogue teams invited controversy, given recent public backlash over its high airfares and late and cancelled flights.
Mr Joyce said Qantas was covering their costs "so they can engage with regional and remote Australians".
"We're supporting the Yes23 campaign because we believe a formal voice to government will help close the gap for First Nations people in important areas like health, education and employment," he said at the official launch at Sydney Airport, alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other prominent First Nations leaders, including AFL legend Adam Goodes and advocate Noel Pearson.
Under Joyce, Qantas has been a staunch supporter of better social equality, backing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2019 and gay marriage before the 2017 vote, which the outgoing CEO personally invested about $1 million in.
Albanese praised Qantas for its long-standing commitment to reconciliation and throwing its weight the Yes campaign.
"Qantas has a long history of doing its bit to carry the nation, to lift all of us a little bit higher, both literally and figuratively. And that is what this is about," he said.
The corporate stance across Australia for the Voice angered Mr Giles, an Indigenous man, who said big business should not take sides or spend millions supporting the campaign.
"I think they should stay out of it," he told the Tough Talk podcast earlier this month.
"As I say in this company, let's stay in our lane ... none of our business happens in the political world, and I don't think we should."