"Mature Nation" plea is Albo’s desperate bid for political survival.

Throughout the past couple of weeks, I’ve written about how the Voice to Parliament could be Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s, last hurrah in politics, and as PM.

There’s no hiding how important the success of the October 14 referendum is and what it means to the Prime Minister.

Having staked everything on it succeeding, it continues to become clearer and clearer just how it the Voice to Parliament is the ‘political hill’ he will inevitably die on trying to defend.

Throw in the raging controversy surrounding Professor Marcia Langton’s ‘Stupid and Base Racist’ remarks made about anyone who votes No, and the PM knows defending his Hill is looking dire.

Albo’s lack of courage to take Langton to task over her comments, reeks of a Prime Minister, way too invested in one side of the debate, and fearful of calling out Langton.

Instead, it reinforces the image of a PM afraid to lead all Australians, and that’s not what Australia wants during a time when uncertainty is raging about where the country is heading.   

Which is why this morning’s impassioned speech by the PM for Australians to show the world Australia’s a "mature" nation in the lead up to the October 14 referendum smacks of desperation and a weak PM who knows the defending his Hill is helpless.

Albo joined Essendon Superstar and AFL legend Michael Long for the final leg of his 'Long Walk' from Melbourne to Parliament House in a show of solidarity and "unity" telling everyone - "We have an opportunity to say to the world we're a mature nation, and we can come to terms with the fullness and richness of our history.”

However, rather than the PM tackle Langton’s comments head on, and rebuke her, he said the next 30 days would be about taking "small steps" towards introducing the voice and sharing our national pride in Indigenous culture globally.

“As a country we "need to do better" and accept that if no real change is enforced, issues facing Indigenous communities will remain ignored and we will "never get anywhere."

It seems the PM is more about side stepping the issue and not upsetting the Voice’s leadership than reassuring Australian’s Langton’s comments were unacceptable and indefensible.

The PM has faced waning popularity in recent polls from within Labor and amongst Australians, because of his strong support for the Voice and Australians are turning away off the PM and the Voice in their droves.

From extremely high levels of support a year ago, when the referendum question hadn't been finalised and the Voice was a vague concept in people's minds, support has fallen a long way.

The latest RedBridge poll, published recently, estimates 61% of Australians are opposed to the Voice, while 39% are in favour.

They’re figures that would have the PM and the Voice leadership overtly concerned.

Recent surveys suggest the PM’s approval ratings have been in a consistent downward spiral, and chatter about potential leadership challenges continues to resonant throughout Canberra.

Given the PM feels trapped, he’s presenting a complex issue in the simplest terms: maturity versus immaturity, inclusion versus exclusion.

By boiling down a contentious referendum into a litmus test of national maturity, the PM may be sidestepping crucial debates and discussions that Australians ought to have before making such a momentous decision.

While the referendum' remains a deeply contentious issue, it demands debate and understanding, not just a rubber-stamp in the name of "maturity," as Langton and the PM seem to want.

The complex issues of the Voice hardly lend themselves to the PM's reductive call for maturity.

His attempt to simplify the conversation could be interpreted as a tactic to stifle dissenting views and rally a divided public – and his party – around him.

The PM’s call for maturity ahead of the referendum does the exact opposite.

Instead, it draws a line in the sand: you are either with the "mature" or against them – it marginalises anyone who has concerns about the ramifications declaring them as holding back the nation's progress.

All politicians aspire to a legacy-building in the PM’s impassioned plea but is this the type of legacy the PM so desperately wants to leave behind given the uncertainty of what lies ahead for Australia.

Without any real clarity behind what the Voice will offer - Australians find themselves in limbo and lost.

If the growing rate of uncertainty remains among Australians, they will err on the side of caution and defeat the referendum.

The PM’s focus on the international perception of Australia as a "mature" nation seems to prioritise optics over substance.

It seems the PM is misguided of how the world perceives Australia.  

The PM's call for Australians to demonstrate maturity by supporting the Voice appears more a political lifeline than a leadership move.

Falling popularity and the looming threat of leadership challenges within his party make it increasingly difficult to separate the sincerity of his plea from the desperate circumstances of his political