No vote wins majority in Linda Burney’s electorate

The voters in the electorate held by the Minister for Indigenous Australians delivered a shocking result in the Voice referendum.

Linda Burney has called on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to be “proud” of their identity and place in the country following the Yes campaign’s devastating loss in the Voice to parliament referendum.

Fighting back tears as she stood alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the vote count revealed a blowout win for No, Ms Burney spoke about the lives of Gloria and Clive, an Indigenous and non-Indigenous couple aged in their 90s who married in 1953 during a period of racial discrimination.

“Their lives show us how far we have come,” the Minister for Indigenous Australian said, adding both had proudly voted Yes in the referendum.

“Gloria and Clive won’t give up on a better future and neither will we.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney addressed Australia after the defeat for the Yes vote. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

With a majority of booths across the country counted, every state in Australia voted to reject the proposed Voice, which would have embedded a permanent Indigenous-led advisory body into the constitution and recognised Indigenous Australians as the first people of the country.

The scale of the No victory extended into Ms Burney’s own electorate of Barton in outer Sydney, with the AEC recording a 55 per cent win for No.

With her voice breaking, Ms Burney said Indigenous Australians would move forward and “thrive”.

The Barton electorate, held by Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney, voted to reject the Voice to parliament. Picture: Supplied

“I know the last few months have been tough but be proud of who you are, be proud of your identity and your rightful place in this country,” she said.

“We will move forward and we will thrive.”

Ms Burney said achieving progress was “never easy” and the Voice campaign had inspired “millions of conversations” about the struggles of Indigenous Australians.

She said a new generation of Indigenous leaders would emerge from the defeat.

The prime minister said his government would continue to work to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians following the Yes campaign’s crushing defeat. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Ms Burney also said the government would accept the result.

“This result is not what we hoped for. The Australian people have had their say and a clear majority have voted against the proposed change to the constitution,” she said.

In his address, the prime minister thanked Ms Burney and said he was “never prouder” to be an Australian than when he sat in the red dirt of Uluru with “those wonderful women”.