Reflect and listen': Yes campaigners contemplate what a No vote might look like

Reflect and listen': Yes campaigners contemplate what a No vote might look like

With just days remaining until polls close in the Voice referendum, some prominent Yes advocates are beginning to contemplate what a No vote might look like — and what it could mean for Indigenous policy going forward.

Key points:
Liberal MP Julian Leeser says Australia must maintain its commitment to reconciliation, regardless of result
Former National Andrew Gee says a No result won't benefit the Coalition long-term
Greens senator Dorinda Cox says in the event of a No result, it should be "respectfully" dissected
Many are hopeful the positive sentiments they are picking up at polling booths might shift the dial in favour of a Yes vote, but are beginning to quietly consider what a No result would mean for reconciliation.

For some, it's seen as a heavy blow to a decades-long effort.

For others, who are advocating a No vote, it is a chance to refocus efforts on practical solutions to well-known problems.

Julian Leeser quit the Coalition frontbench earlier this year to allow him to freely campaign for a constitutionally enshrined Voice.

The Liberal MP said he would keep working until polls closed to secure a Yes outcome, but should No prevail, Australia needed to maintain its commitment to reconciliation.

"You respect the decision of the Australian people. And we have to take a moment to reflect and listen deeply to where Indigenous people want us to go next," he said.

"But I think the important message is that Australia needs to recommit to the process of reconciliation, which is so important."

Senator Kerrynne Liddle has been a strong advocate for the No side, and said success for that campaign would allow focus on what she considered more pressing issues.

She said she would cast her vote with a "heavy heart", arguing the referendum should have been avoided altogether.

"This could have been done with legislating a Voice to parliament. All of this angst, this terrible distraction from the cost of living," she said.

"And I worry about that distraction, I have been for some time, because the people that are doing it toughest are those people in those remote and regional communities."

A courtyard campaign surprise
In November 2022, the Nationals took some by surprise when they announced their firm opposition to a Voice to Parliament during a parliamentary sitting week.

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was front and centre, arguing the Voice would "divide the nation along the lines of race".

No referendum has ever succeeded in Australia without bipartisan support, making the position taken by the Nationals — and eventually the Liberals — particularly significant.

Independent MP Andrew Gee quit the Nationals and moved to the crossbench in part over the party's Voice position.

"I was pretty shocked at the way it all played out," he said. "They basically held a partyroom meeting while I was attending a funeral in Eugowra.

"And then they call the press conference and made out that this was a unanimous decision, when they knew very well that it was not unanimous. I was pretty shocked that they did that."

Mr Gee is still highly critical of how his former party has approached the Voice campaign, and argues both the Nationals and Liberals should have offered their members and senators a conscience vote.

And he argued it would not benefit the Coalition, in a political sense, in the long run.

"If the No campaign is successful, I think there will be a short-term sugar hit in that they will bask in that for a short while," he said.

"But then I predict that around the corner, around the middle of next year, the sugar crash will set in. When you don't see that lift in the polls, that's when you'll see leadership speculation."

Senator Nampijinpa Price has since emerged as arguably one of the most recognisable figures in either campaign, leading advocacy group Fair Australia's efforts to combat the Voice.

Senator Liddle said it was unsurprising her message had resonated with some voters.

"She's right in the thick of it, she's living in Alice Springs, she was born and raised either in Alice Springs or around Alice Springs, a bit like myself," she said.

"And we come from real-world experiences.

"So when we look at some of the voices that are arguing for this Voice, we see — because we've grown up amongst it and we've seen it from the coalface — some of the issues with those very voices that are coming out and saying, 'This is the answer for improving Aboriginal affairs.'"

The late push to change minds
Some manning pre-poll booths around the country are reporting a lift in energy for the Yes campaign, particularly as undecided voters start to make up their minds. #australia #russia #unitedkingdom #usa #unitedstates #italy #spain #australiannews