Labor’s heartland struggling to find a clear, definitive Voice

As pre-polling begins, in Labor’s Hunter Valley heartland there seems scant support for the Voice. And in key Labor seats in Sydney, many still don’t have an answer.

The Voice is struggling to gain support in Labor’s coal mining heartland with voters in key Hunter electorate turning away from ALP’s vision.

As pre-polling kicks off, of the 30 people The Daily Telegraph spoke to in the Hunter, 23 were voting No and 7 were voting Yes but in the western and southwestern Sydney electorates of Parramatta and Banks the results were more evenly split with the biggest chunk of voters still undecided.

The Hunter Region has been a key seat for Labor, one it had to work to turn, in both state and federal elections.

Those against the Voice named the risk of division and a lack of clarity from the government as the reason behind their vote.

Muswellbrook couple Luke and Cathlin Wells will be voting No, calling the Voice proposal “uncosted” and without “sufficient evidence” it will help Indigenous Australians.

“It’s a largely it’s uncosted policy. There’s no sufficient evidence there would be positive outcomes for the Aboriginal community,” Mr Well said.

“No one is giving us a clear message yet. All the people can believe great change can happen with a yes vote. What have they been doing so far? Why haven’t they been implementing change without the vote?

Hunter voices on the Voice, top, from left: Yes voter Makaah Darcy, 18; No voter Terry Bullen, 71; Yes voter Stewart Munro, 62; and No voter Paul Burston, 54. Bottom, from left: No voter Lisa Luci, 58; Yes voter Lena Mouat, 67, No voter Kim Olson, 60, and Yes voter Lennert De Visser, 49. Pictures: Sue Graham

“Constitutional recognition would be an amazing outcome if we could achieve that somehow that would be great but this isn’t the way how. An additional body is just going to siphon more money to the white men.”

“There wasn’t enough info given on what the yes vote was all about. Very vague,” Stuart Crichton, 59, from Cessnock said.

“It doesn’t seem like they have (the government) an idea.”

Mudgee local Mick Bremer, 50, added: ”I don’t think we have enough detail. The government hasn’t been transparent enough.”

Muswellbrook family Luke, 42, and Cathlin Wells, 41, pictured with their children Alexandra 8, Henry 6, Victoria 10 and Edward, 4. The couple plan to vote No. Picture: Sue Graham

Cessnock man Seth Eagleton was one of several people who feared the Voice would be divisive: ”It’s divisive, I don’t like it.”

Others who were going to vote Yes said they hoped a Voice to Parliament would improve outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

”It’ll be better for the Indigenous people in the long run … It should’ve been done way before now,” Cessnock woman Lena Mouat said.

Upper Hunter Shire Mayor Maurice Collison said the overwhelming community sentiment was leaning towards a No vote.

“A lot of people are asking what exactly does this mean?,” he said.

Responding to the findings and the threat of blowback in Labor seats, Education Minister Jason Clare moved to distance the Voice from being a Labor idea.

‘ANGST’ HAS AUSSIES TUNING OUT

“Over the next two weeks we’ve all got an opportunity to do what we should have done 122 years ago, to recognise the fact that Australia didn‘t start when Captain Cook arrived. That we’ve got a story that goes back 60,000 years,” he said.

”This is not a Labor idea, this is not a Liberal idea. This is the idea of Indigenous Australians asking us to work with them, asking us to listen, holding out their hand.”

Nationals leader David Littleproud said the “angst” around rising cost of living pressures meant voters were tuning out of the Voice proposal.

“The issue for Labor is that it’s their referendum and it’s Albanese’s referendum and when cost of living is hurting so badly, they feel that Labor has for the past 17 months focused on the Voice rather than cost of living,” he said.

BANKS, PARRAMATTA UNDECIDED

In key seats in the city, Labor had more of a chance with the majority of people in Banks and Parramatta undecided just two weeks out of the referendum.

In Banks, which covers suburbs across southwestern Sydney including Oatley, Padstow and Peakhurst, nine people said they would vote Yes, six were in the No camp while 10 were undecided.

The seat is held by Liberal David Coleman but was historically a Labor electorate with the party securing a 3.1 per cent swing its way in the last federal election.

At the state election, the electorate of Oatley, which falls within Banks, was almost within the reach of Labor.

Joyce Thiravium, 26, remains undecided. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Early childhood educator Kate Armstrong said she had at first thought she would vote yes but since listening to the opinions of Indigenous advocates in the ‘no’ camp was no longer sure.

“I really don’t know now,” the 35-year-old said.

“I need to do more research because I’m not voting for myself.

“Listening to the opinions of Indigenous people from both camps, I really don’t know what to think.”

Retiree Greg King, 70 said he would be voting yes as it was the right thing to do.

“We’ve tried other policies and it’s been a disaster,” he said.

“I’ll be voting yes because it’s the right thing to do and hopefully it will change the outcomes for Indigenous Australians.”

In Parramatta, Labor’s key Western Sydney CBD, seven people said they would vote Yes, six said they would vote No while a dozen were undecided.

Parramatta auditor Joyce Thiravium said she would likely do some research on the day of the referendum to decide how to vote.

The 26-year-old said while she was aware of the campaign it wasn’t something she believes involved her.

“I haven’t thought about it very much,” she said. “I’ll definitely do some research the morning of and decide which is the best way to vote.”

Anne Amituanai, 25, Rhea Fernandes, 31, and Madi Floody, 22, in Parramatta. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Friends Madi Floody, 22, Rhea Fernandes, 31 and Anne Amituanai, 25 all said they had not decided how to vote.

Ms Floody said it was a difficult decision to make as it did not directly affect them. “I’ll ask my family and friends their thoughts,” she said. “But more than likely I’ll decide on the day.”

Oath Lan from Parramatta said she also had more research to do before deciding.

“I’ve got the ‘yes’ pamphlets, I’ve seen the campaigners but I still don’t know how I’m voting,” she said. “I’ve got a lot more reading to do before the day.”

MP Andrew Charlton, who holds the seat on a thin margin of 3.5 per cent, said his office had been using WhatsApp to dispel misinformation about the Yes case to win over the undecided voters.

“The level of undecided voters means there’s everything to play for in the last two weeks and we have a good chance of convincing the those still making up their minds.”

Parramatta has been in the sights of the Yes camp with five visits from Yes campaigner Noel Pearson in the past four weeks and another four from moderate Liberal and former premier Barry O‘Farrell.

Originally published as Labor’s heartland struggling to find a clear, definitive Voice