1. 2023

Take the strain... ready... pull!

It was clear that once the Liberal Party backed a ‘No’ vote the Voice referendum would turn into a tug of war. But would both sides be equally matched?

Those on the ‘No’ end of the rope were strange bedfellows – those campaigning for ‘Treaty before Voice’ lined up beside those arguing that the Voice would be racially divisive. The ‘Yes’ campaign had the backing of the government and of the original drafters of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

The official pamphlet containing the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ cases was circulated, and a date was set for the referendum, Saturday 14 October 2023. During the six-week-long period of campaigning, both sides strained to pull their side of the rope across the line.

A white figure at a counter asks, 'Can you please explain the nuances of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament... jargon jargon..." and the black figure behind the counter replies with a cup, 'Here is your order'.

Long Black History

Kamsani Bin Salleh, self-published,

A bald blue man says 'I want details!' and a 272-page book is thrust into his mouth.

I Want Details!

Andrew Fyfe, self-published,

A woman jumps out of a small green tugboat, into stormy sea water in a smaller orange life raft marked with the Aboriginal flag and holding a sign that reads 'No'.

Lidia Thorpe Jumps Ship

John Shakespeare, The Sydney Morning Herald,

Anthony Albanese says to Peter Dutton, 'I'v got a lot of people who don't appreciate your tone of voice when you talk about the "Voice"', and behind them is a group of First Nations people.

Talk about the Voice

Danny Eastwood, Koori Mail,

Peter Dutton tows away a carriage, telling Anthony Albanese 'Sorry mate, around here you have to read the signs,' to which he replies 'But we don't have regional signs in Canberra!'

Untitled

John Spooner, The Australian,

A man carrying a large net tries to catch a butterfly with the word 'Voice' but is waist-deep in a swamp.

Wade In

Brett Lethbridge, The Courier-Mail,

In front of Australian Parliament House flying the Aboriginal flag, Anthony Albanese places a paper boat on a red, yellow and black pond.

Untitled

David Rowe, The Australian Financial Review,

People stand at voting books scattered across a red desert landscape.

A Vote from the Heart

Rocco Fazzari,

A woman is dressed in military uniform with the word 'yes' on her helmet, and Anthony Albanese says 'But Linda, you can't just march to Canberra. You're already there!'

Untitled

John Spooner, The Australian,

Two women angrily point at one another, each saying 'I'm voting no because of her!'

The Noes Have It

Peter Broelman, The Echidna,

A booklet shows a mouse stating the case for a 'yes' vote, and an elephant on a chair in distress for the 'no' vote.

Australian Referendum Guide

David Pope, The Canberra Times,

Two men are fishing at an ice hole, Anthony Albanese says that he is fishing for the Voice, and Peter Dutton says 'You're using the wrong bait!'

Mid Winter Fishing

Dean Alston, The West Australian,

The words 'YES VOTE' are being chipped away and destroyed by groups of people carrying 'no' signs.

Voice Attacked by Misinformation

Danny Eastwood, Koori Mail,

Four people sit in a room and one says, 'Ok... we've got the stupid racist vote.. now what?', another responds 'we appeal to their higher selves', and a third says 'smart racists'.

Untitled

David Rowe, The Australian Financial Review,

A man stands in an overgrown front yard, after arriving in a car towing a caravan that reads 'Voice Tour of Australia'.

Voice Tour Over

Mark Knight, Herald Sun,

A mother consoles a daughter over 'no' vote, saying, 'we will still live under colony rules where they tell us what to do!'

The Results of the Vote

Danny Eastwood, Koori Mail,