Voters across Bunbury reject Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice at Saturday’s referendum

Residents across Bunbury have rejected the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in greater proportions than the overall State average.

Not a single polling place across the city recorded a Yes vote on the weekend as the first referendum held in nearly a quarter of a century failed to receive a majority in any State across the country on Saturday night.

The Federal electorate of Forrest which covers Bunbury alongside Busselton and Margaret River had voted No 69.6 as of 12pm Monday compared to the WA average No vote of 63.6 per cent.

Poll workers were kept busy on Saturday as thousands of people across the Bunbury region cast their votes.

There were lines in the morning at booths in Dalyellup as residents had their say.

Pro-Voice volunteers outnumbered No volunteers by about three to one at the suburb’s two polling places, while Yes campaign material was also more prominent in several polling booth locations across the region.

In the end, the on-ground presence did not translate into a successful vote.

It was looking bad for the Yes campaign before polls had even closed in WA, with referendum being called for the No side about 4.30pm as results became clear in the Eastern States.

Anti-Voice campaigners at Bunbury Primary School had packed up and left by 5pm, with Yes volunteeer Peter Males the sole advocate still left.

After breaking the news of the referendum decision to Mr Males, he could not offer an answer on what happens now.

“I don’t know, what do you do?,” he said.

“It was a peace offering and we the Australian people rejected it.”

Mr Males admitted the pro-Voice campaign had been “second best”.

“We haven’t had a good campaign,” he said.

“They must of thought we had it.”

The Bunbury Primary School booth recorded the best result for the Yes campaign across Bunbury, with 46.1 per cent of votes supporting the creation of the Voice.

It was the only close result, with all other polling places in the city voting No by double-digit margins.

The Bunbury pre-poll voting centre on Spencer Street received the largest turnout in the electorate, with 75.6 per cent of its over 15,000 voters rejecting the Voice.

Results were starker at the Australind pre-poll voting centre, with 79.4 per cent of its more than 10,000 voters supporting No.

After he and the Greater Bunbury Aboriginal Elders Group put their support behind the Yes campaign last week, Australind-based elder Dennis Jetta declined to comment on Saturday’s results.

Reconciliation WA co-chair Carol Innes expressed disappointment in the referendum outcome, arguing the State “can do better”.

“While we are saddened by this result, this is not the first time our people have experienced setbacks to their aspirations,” she said.

“We pay respect to the courage and example of our elders and leaders who have walked this journey for many years.”

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton on Monday backed away from his proposal to hold a second referendum on recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution amid a failure to gain support within the Coalition, including from shadow Indigenous affairs minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

“I think it’s clear that the Australian public is probably over the referendum process for some time,” he told reporters at Parliament House in Canberra.