Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Steve Evans

'These aren't just statistics': The view from 'yes' vote central

If there is an epicentre of the "yes" vote, it is surely the polling station next to the Uniting Church just off Northbourne Avenue in Canberra.

People from the "no" camp are completely absent. It's true there is a "no" banner - one. But the slogan "Treaty before Voice. Stop the War" is one of Aboriginal campaigners who don't think the Voice is enough.

So this is deep "yes" territory.

"I believe one hundred per cent that Canberra will have the highest percentage of 'yes' votes in the country," "yes" campaigner Noah Allan said as he handed out leaflets.

This week, he's been in Tamworth in New England (Monday), Belconnen (Wednesday and Thursday) and the polling station in Civic.

"I think it's positive here. There's no 'no' campaigners," he said about the Civic atmosphere.

"Belconnen is a different dynamic - still positive but there are 'no' campaigners there.

"In Tamworth, there are a lot of undecided people."

He describes himself as a "Ngunnawal man". "I'm Australian. I've been an Indigenous man for 21 years."

He said he witnessed the gap in health between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in his own family as people die too young.

"You go to a funeral one month and you're back a month later for another funeral," he said.

"These aren't just statistics. I see the terrible conditions in my family, and I a hundred per cent believe a Voice would change that."

At noon nearly precisely, the queue outside the Civic polling centre lengthens. This is office worker territory and lunch is punctual (if a little early).

'Yes' campaigner Noah Allan. Picture by Keegan Caroll

The atmosphere is genial and patient. An electoral worker comes out and calls for people not registered in the ACT or people who have health issues.

Earlier in the week, an elderly man turned up, barely able to walk. A stool was brought so he could catch his breath. When his wheezing subsided, he was then helped in to vote.

"I think Australia should be very proud of this democracy," Lucille Rogers from the "yes" campaign said, adding with passion: "unlike America which is supposed to be the greatest democracy.

"It's rubbish. Absolutely," she said, warming to the theme. "You can put that in."

What will she feel on Sunday when the result is in? "Think of me under the pillow , crying" - and then she adds an if: "if I'm crying".

Campaigners now realise they are in the home straight. "It's nearly over. I feel like I want to do more," Alex Lane said.

Despite the opinion polls indicating a defeat for the "yes" side, its campaigners were reasonably upbeat on Friday.

If there are 'no' voters in the queue, they keep quiet about it, according to the "yes" campaigner Alex Lane. "People are either enthusiastic for 'yes' or they are just muted, so it's hard to tell who wants to vote 'no'."

We may well know how many "no" voters there are on Sunday, though it may take longer if the polls have got it wrong and the result is close.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.