Labor ministers’ electorates desert them on the voice as No vote wins
Barely a quarter of cabinet ministers pushing the Yes side were in line with their constituents.
Just a quarter of cabinet ministers in the House of Representatives pushing the Yes side in the Voice referendum were in line with their constituents, with only five electorates out of the 19 belonging to prominent Labor frontbenchers supporting the voice.
Among the seats with the lowest turnouts for the Yes side include Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s electorate of McMahon in Sydney’s west, Jim Chalmers’ Queensland electorate of Rankin in Queensland and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth’s electorate of Kingston in SA where only 35 per cent of constituents voted in favour of the Voice.
Mr Bowen had been optimistic in the days leading up to Saturday’s referendum telling reporters that he had talked to many constituents who had not been polled who would be voting yes.
“I know that people understand fairness and they understand this chance,” he said.
Resources Minister Madeleine King’s electorate of Brand in WA returned the lowest level of support for the Voice of all Labor Cabinet Ministers with just 30 per cent voting Yes.
Key advocate for the Voice Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney also failed to convince constituents in her NSW electorate of Barton to back the Voice with 56 per cent voting No.
Anthony Albanese’s electorate of Grayndler returned the strongest yes vote with 74 per cent, followed by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s electorate of Sydney, which voted 70 per cent Yes and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten’s electorate of Maribyrnong which voted 51 per cent support for the Yes side.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus’s electorate of Isaacs in Victoria and Housing Minister Julie Collins’ electorate of Franklin in Tasmania both voted just over 50 per cent in support of the Yes side.
Defence Minister Richard Marles – whose electorate of Corio in Victoria also rejected the Voice with almost 55 per cent of constituents voting No – said on Sunday that the Australian people “always get it right”.
“Obviously for those of us who are supporting the Yes campaign, it wasn‘t the night we hoped for and I am disappointed,” he told the ABC’s Insiders.
“But the Australian people always get it right, and we absolutely accept this result and what this means is that Australians don’t want to see this pursued through a change to the Constitution.”
Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke’s NSW electorate of Watson also voted for the No side with almost 55 per cent of voters rejecting the Voice, along with Health Minister Mark Butler’s SA electorate of Hindmarsh where almost 62 per cent voted No and Transport Minister Catherine King’s seat of Ballarat, which was 58 per cent No.
Almost 62 per cent of Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor’s electorate of Gorton in Victoria voted No and Education Minister Jason Clare’s electorate of Blaxland in NSW also voted 62 per cent in favour of the No side.
Innovation Minister Ed Husic’s seat of Chifley in NSW voted 40 per cent cent in favour of the Yes side, while Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil’s seat of Hotham sat on a knife’s edge late on Sunday with 49 per cent voting Yes.
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