Indigenous voice to parliament referendum heat on early as voters have their say

Early voting for the voice to parliament referendum is under way across the country two weeks before the event, and eager voters are out in force.

A local business owner and family head out to vote in Yalgoo, 500km northeast of Perth. Picture: Getty Images

Early voting for the voice to parliament referendum is under way across the country two weeks before the event, and eager voters are out in force.

Centres opened on Monday in the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia, and in the other jurisdictions on Tuesday after observing a public holiday.

More and more Australians have opted to vote early in recent elections, up from 7.5 per cent of voters in the 2010 federal election to 28.2 per cent in 2022.

In Sydney, voters and volunteers braved the heat to attend pre-poll booths.

Around some western Sydney polling stations, there was clearly a better showing of Yes campaign volunteers: they had laid out signs and corflutes while No volunteers and campaign materials were sparse if not entirely absent.

Claire Sirisomphone attended a booth in Liverpool, western Sydney, and voted yes.

“I think it’s an optimistic step for them to actually have a voice here,” she said.

Steven Chau and Joanne So, who also attended the booth, said they too voted in favour of the voice.

“We believe Indigenous people should have a voice,” Ms So said. “It’s ridiculous it’s taken this long, honestly.”

Indigenous women cast their vote in Yalgoo. Picture: Getty Images

She said she thought most of her friends and family were in agreement but suggested this may not be the case for some older family members.

“They don’t understand,” she said. “And they don’t care.

“I think it’s common among migrant populations that they’re a bit more sceptical about this – not to be discriminatory, I think our generation’s a bit more open-minded.”

Sam, who did not give his surname, did not say whether he voted yes or no. However, he inveighed against the debate leading up to the referendum.

“The government, they’re bloody idiots,” he said. “They didn’t tell us why I should vote yes, and didn’t tell me why I should vote no.

“There must be thousands like me. They left us in the corner, left us in the dark.

“But if I had voted yes – when I put my head on the pillow, I need to be relaxed in my heart that’s what I believe.”

Voting began in remote areas of Australia on Monday last week, the Australian Electoral Commission said.

The AEC also said that a record 97.9 per cent of eligible voters were enrolled to vote in the upcoming referendum.

“If you can vote on October 14, then that’s what you should do,” AEC commissioner Tom Rogers said in an earlier statement.

“However, if your circumstances might prevent you from doing that then you need to think about the early voting options available and vote according to your circumstances.”