Voice referendum failure blamed amid record low voter turnout in Lingiari

Historic low turnout voter turnout rates in Lingiari should be attributed to the resounding failure of the Voice referendum and Aboriginal peoples’ disengagement with politics, one expert says.

Voters at a mobile polling station in Pirlangimpi for the 2025 federal election, in the electorate of Lingiari. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Historic low turnout voter turnout rates in Lingiari should be attributed to the resounding failure of the Voice referendum and Aboriginal peoples’ disengagement with politics, one expert says.

Less than two thirds of Lingiari voters had their say in the federal election, marking an all time low for the sprawling bush seat which covers the entire Northern Territory outside of Darwin and Palmerston.

In May’s federal election the electorate once again ranked worst in the country for turnout – just 62.2 per cent of enrolled voters casting a ballot compared with a 90.7 per cent national average.

The Australian Electoral Commission said part of the explanation was the record high number of Lingiari residents on the voter roll: 93.6 per cent.

But in raw numbers, turn out has still decreased over recent years, dropping to about 47,800 this year from 51,009 in 2019.

Wurrumiyanga polling station during the Voice referendum. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Another factor was the redistribution that removed parts of Palmerston – a traditionally higher turnout area – from Lingiari, and a late Wet season cutting off access to some communities and homelands.

Despite this the AEC noted a small increase in remote votes cast “following an increase in services and significant effort” to reach all corners of the electorate.

“The AEC only has so many levers in our control,” it said in a statement.

“The AEC cannot influence motivations to vote beyond our education of the electoral system and voter services.

“Political motivations and other societal factors undoubtedly have an impact on people decisions to vote or not – nationally but in the division of Lingiari specifically.”

Charles Darwin University senior lecturer – Aboriginal Futures, Robyn Smith. Picture: Supplied.

Charles Darwin University Lecturer in Aboriginal Futures Dr Robyn Smith said it “seemed obvious” a large part of the disengagement could be linked to the ‘No’ result in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.

While resoundingly rejected by the Australian public, the Voice received strong support in remote Territory polling stations.

“Aboriginal people were very, very heavily invested in that referendum. Since the overwhelming No vote, the engagement has fallen right off,” Dr Smith said.

“There are no surprises in that, because it’s difficult for Aboriginal people to see what will change for them. So they just don’t feel engaged, they don’t feel that their vote will count for anything.”

Marion Scrymgour on election night, May 3. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour said “very few” people raised the failed Voice as an issue with her, but that delivering in the bush would be key to boosting political engagement.

The Labor incumbent was comfortably re-elected with a 6.53 per cent swing towards her, and named Special Envoy for Remote Communities in Albanese’s new government.

“Delivery of houses, better education, better health services, better housing – we can’t keep talking about this stuff if we don’t deliver it,” Ms Scrymgour said.

“If there’s no delivery, people become cynical and step away.

“I think some of (the low turnout) comes down to a protest vote, where people are just sick of voting and not seeing any change.”

Ms Scrymgour said Labor could not continue to take the Aboriginal vote for granted.

“Aboriginal people are a bit more savvy than that, and they will question things that are happening out in remote communities,” she said.

Voting results in Lingiari followed conventional trends of Top End rural areas – trending towards the CLP, and remote polling stations leaning heavily towards Labor.

One remote mobile team that visited multiple sites, and Bees Creek delivered the best results for the CLP, 70.4 per cent and 66.2 per cent respectively.

Meanwhile nine mobile polling teams delivered results for Labor over 90 per cent in favour.

One based in Wadeye voted 92.7 per cent for Labor, and the Cocos Islands – a remote atoll in the Indian Ocean – voted 90.97 per cent for Labor two-party preferred.

Originally published as Voice referendum failure blamed amid record low voter turnout in Lingiari