The results were clear early on Saturday evening after the polls closed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was a resounding no to the 2023 Voice referendum. There will not be a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament after voters turned against the proposal in Saturday's once-in-a-generation referendum.
Across the country, the only state or territory to have a majority Yes vote was the ACT.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has released the breakdown of data on how residents voted in each electorate and at each polling booth.
In the electorate of Cowper, there were 36,413 Yes votes (33.4 per cent) and 72,617 No votes (66.6 per cent).
The Port Macquarie East polling booth at Hastings Secondary College (Port Macquarie Campus) had one of the highest number of No votes recorded in the electorate, with 1033 No votes out of a total of 1917 votes.
While the Kempsey polling booth located on Smith St had one of the highest Yes votes in the electorate, with 1920 votes in support of the Voice. This number was still lower than No votes recorded at the Smith St polling booth, with 7723 voting No.
Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan, in a social media post, said while the result is what he and his National Party colleagues agree is the right outcome, it's not a time to declare a victory.
"It is a day to unify, come together as a nation and a people and move forward with hope and positivity, not division and descent," he said in the post.
"This should make us resolute in the knowledge that we are a country that wants to prioritise action over symbolism. It's time to move forward. It's time to be proud of how far we've come and recognise how far we can progress together."
In the electorate of Lyne, there were 26,984 Yes votes (25.35 per cent) and 79,444 No votes (74.65 per cent).
The Camden Haven PPVC polling booth at the Camden Haven Scout Hall had one of the highest No votes in the Lyne electorate with 4417 and 1435 Yes votes.
Federal Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie said he was disappointed the Prime Minister had put the country through such a divisive process.
"The Nationals requested that the Australian people be given the opportunity to vote for indigenous recognition in the Constitution by having two questions. A question on recognition and another on the Voice, however, the Prime Minister refused to do this," he said.
"This referendum could have been a unifying moment for the nation but unfortunately Mr Albanese decided he wanted to tie indigenous recognition to his Voice proposal which was divisive, lacked detail and was Constitutionally risky."
IN OTHER NEWS:
