Standing in line at a polling centre in Sydney’s western suburbs, a couple grasps two pamphlets – one urging for a yes vote, and one lobbying for no.
Just metres from the booth, they’re yet to decide which way to vote in a historic referendum described by some sections of the Australian community as dividing the nation, and others as uniting it.
A few rows behind them, another voter, who wishes to remain anonymous, looks similarly confused. When asked if they’ve made up their mind, he replies: “I’m not sure, can you tell me what it’s about?”
Ashfield Civic Centre is a microcosm of a nation split on the proposal to enshrine the Indigenous voice to parliament in the Australian constitution. It’s a split that widens the further out of the left-leaning inner suburbs of Sydney you go – and a trend experts expect to be replicated in Australia’s capital cities. In Ashfield, half the volunteers have donned yes T-shirts; half are in tops emblazoned with “vote no”.
For yes volunteers and University of Sydney students, the reception on Saturday is “mixed”.
While “somewhat demoralised” by the no presence, Anderson says they’ve been “invigorated” by the fact that many people lining up to vote have been open to talking about the voice and First Nations rights more broadly.
Yes campaigners were tipped to significantly outnumber voice opponents on polling booths – an advantage supporters have long hoped could propel them to victory. “With any election, with any referendum comes those conversations,” Anderson says.
“Most of the undecided people that I’ve spoken to in the line have ended up voting yes. That’s indicative of what the yes campaign stands for. It stands for First Nations justice, as opposed to maintaining the status quo.”
On the other side of the fence, no volunteer Andrew Wang tells Guardian Australia he’s campaigning against the voice to parliament.
Wang arrived in Australia as a Chinese migrant at the age of eight, and finds it to be an accepting and multicultural society. For this reason, he doesn’t understand why Indigenous Australians need a voice.
Ashfield has a high level of cultural diversity, with 22% of its population holding Chinese ancestry, compared with the state average of 7.2%.
“I love this country, there’s no division,” he says. “We don’t have a voice for our Asian population, we don’t have a voice for Caucasians … We don’t need a voice for Aboriginal rights.
“Statistically, there’s no denying [Indigenous people face disadvantage] … but the government has no solutions. They only have a trade off.”
‘Our hearts are open’
It’s a different affair in Redfern, the Indigenous hub of Sydney, where yes flags adorn the busy street winding to the train station.
At the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence, the community comes first. The centre has put on a free barbecue and, after voting, families mill around together with cups of coffee.
The mood is not one of resignation – but nor is it jubilant. People are sombre, reflective.
The NCIE chief executive, Grant Cameron, says the centre is operating on Saturday first and foremost as a culturally safe place for First Nations people.
On Sunday, they’ll hold a community and connection day, so “whichever way the vote goes, the NCIE is here to show that support and love”. “Our doors are open, our hearts are open,” Cameron says, tears welling in his eyes. “We’ve had a tough couple of weeks, months leading up to this.
“But I’m still so proud to stand on this site in the heart of Redfern as an Aboriginal man.”
After months of campaigning, Shane Phillips, the chief executive of non-profit group Tribal Warrior, is ready to tap out. He’s had a rough few weeks, having recently had surgery on his shoulder after a sporting injury.
Yet he’s out on Saturday morning in his voice to parliament shirt, which spells out yes in dozens of Indigenous languages.
Whatever happens, Phillips says he hasn’t lost hope; the bitterness of the campaign has not left him disheartened.
“I’ve been so encouraged by the amount of people, everyday Australians, embracing us, walking with us,” he says. “We thought we were alone, and now we know we aren’t. Whether we win or lose, we harness that; we will have an impact.”
In the inner west suburb of Marrickville, the heartland of the prime minister, Phillips’ message is on loud display.
Strings of yes signs front terraces, and locals mill at cafes in shirts emblazoned with “unions for yes” and “right side of history”.
Handing out flyers outside Marrickville public school, yes volunteer Anna remains hopeful despite the polls. She says whatever the referendum’s outcome is, the campaign for Indigenous recognition is just beginning.
“Regardless of what happens, we’ve got this amazing volunteer moment of non-Indigenous people who feel really strongly,” she says. “We’re walking beside and joining First Nations people, to say, ‘This was wrong, and we want to fix it.’”
