It was a resounding No from Queensland — only three electorates voted in favour

The news

Queensland has given the strongest rejection of the Voice to parliament of any state or territory, with 69 per cent voting No in the failed referendum.

Seven of the 10 highest No-voting federal electorates were in Queensland, including the entire top five, with 74 per cent of the state’s votes counted as Sunday afternoon.

Nationals leader David Littleproud’s sprawling western electorate of Maranoa had the highest No vote, with 84.12 per cent, while 65.05 per cent of voters in federal Liberal leader and leading No figure Peter Dutton’s outer Brisbane seat of Dickson cast No ballots.

Just three federal electorates in the state appear poised to record majority Yes votes: Brisbane (56.68 per cent), Griffith (56.59 per cent), and Ryan (52.69 per cent).

The three progressive-leaning seats were snatched by the Greens from LNP and Labor MPs at the federal election last year.

Despite the general result, polling booths servicing majority First Nations populations – mostly in Queensland’s north – were more likely to support the Yes vote.

Why it matters

With 78 per cent of the national vote counted – the Yes vote managing only 39 per cent nationwide, and all states on track to record No votes – the referendum to enshrine in the Constitution the advisory body on matters affecting Indigenous people has failed.

The ACT was the only jurisdiction to vote Yes, with 61 per cent of ballots agreeing to the change. Victoria had the next highest Yes count at 46 per cent, while Melbourne recorded the highest Yes vote of any federal electorate (78.05 per cent).

Polling in the lead-up to the vote suggested Queensland, home to both federal Coalition leaders speaking out against the proposal and the official No campaign event on Saturday night, had the strongest opposition.

Despite the result, campaigners from both the Yes and No camps have declared work to deliver better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would continue – with differing priorities.

What they said

In a statement on Sunday morning, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the vote showed the Voice “wasn’t the right way” to improve the wellbeing of First Nations peoples, something she was confident all Australians agreed was needed.

“I acknowledge the strong feedback,” she said. “But that won’t stop our efforts to bring justice, reconciliation and material improvement to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

“The Australian people have spoken, and their voice tells me they’re not ready. Not yet. I respect that. They never get it wrong.”

While she and her government supported the Voice, Palaszczuk had been critical of the federal government for not being clearer on how it would work.

Last month, the premier said her state’s focus – regardless of the referendum’s outcome – was on truth telling under its own Path to Treaty program.

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