Busselton region sends mixed messages on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice as proposal defeated

The majority of residents in the City of Busselton have voted to reject the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, but the results were not unanimous. Ten of the City’s 12 polling places recorded a majority No result in Saturday’s referendum, as the Voice failed to receive a majority both nationally and across the State. Poll workers were kept busy on Saturday as thousands of people from Yalyalup to Yallingup cast their votes. There was confusion among some tourists staying in Dunsborough, with polling place officials telling those registered outside of the State they would need to vote at dedicated interstate voting centres in Margaret River or Bunbury. Volunteers from both campaigns stood outside polling centres during the day, trying to convince voters of their side of the argument before they cast their ballots. Naturaliste Community Centre Yes campaigner Katie Pepper described her decision to support the creation of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice as “an obvious choice”. “Hearing that the region leans No, I wanted to make the Yes vote a little bit louder,” she said. Fellow Yes campaigner Catherine Woulfe worried about the international damage to Australia’s reputation if the No vote succeeded. “I feel morally it is the right thing to do,” she said. “I don’t do political stuff, but this is a no-brainer.” Down the road at Dunsborough Primary School, No campaign volunteer Jenni Glassford raised concerns the Voice would be divisive if it was approved. “I think it is really sad what has happened (to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians) but I don’t think this is the way to fix it,” she said. Ms Glassford said she had heard a lot of Aboriginal people did not want the Voice and raised concerns about Australia Day being cancelled if the Yes vote succeeded. The highest Yes vote within the City of Busselton was recorded at Yallingup Hall, with 56.4 per cent of its votes in favour of the Voice. The Dunsborough Primary School polling place was the only other location to record a majority Yes vote, with 55.1 per cent of its voters backing the proposal. All other locations within the City voted majority No, with the Acton Park Hall recording the highest result at 80.9 per cent. Within Busselton, all locations except Churchill Park Hall recorded a No result by double-digit margins. At the largest booth on Saturday, Busselton Senior High School recorded a 65.1 per cent No vote. The Busselton pre-poll voting centre leaned further toward the No camp, with 73.5 per cent of its nearly 11,000 votes against the Voice. Speaking on Saturday night, Vasse MLA Libby Mettam said there was “no doubt” the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act had impacted the vote in WA. “The chaos created by the Cook Labor Government’s botched rollout of this Act and the lack of details provided created real doubt and mistrust about how their Federal Labor colleagues would implement the Voice,” she said. Ms Mettam announced in August she would be voting No after originally backing the Yes campaign.