Vocal referendum: Single image of Brisbane homes shows nation divided over October 14 vote
A single image of two neighboring houses illustrates how divided Australia is on the issue of the Indigenous voice in Parliament.
Adjoining houses on Wynnum Esplanade, a Brisbane suburb, are taking different positions in the referendum, which will take place on October 14.
The house on the right, painted black, has transformed the garage door into an Aboriginal flag and displays vote yes posters in the windows.
Meanwhile, next door, a gleaming white house sports an Australian flag and a “Vote No to Division” poster hanging from its second-floor balcony.
David and Belinda Goodwin, who live in the no house, told A Current Affair their views could not be further from those of their neighbors.
The two houses located on the Wynnum Esplanade, in the suburbs of Brisbane, are defending different positions in the referendum which will take place on October 14.
“We have an Australian flag, they have an Aboriginal flag. They’re vegans from Melbourne, we’re a bunch of Catholics with a big family from Queensland, so I suppose you couldn’t have more contrasting views,” Mr Goodwin said.
“This sparked a lot of discussion. I got a lot of letters in the mailbox, people calling me, I put a sticker on my car for people to stop and talk.
He said he appreciated the contrast between the two homes, insisting there was no bad blood with his neighbors – a young couple who did not want to be identified.
The nation is divided around Voice, with support declining with each new poll.
The house on the right, painted black, has transformed the garage door into an Aboriginal flag and displays vote yes posters in the windows.
Meanwhile, next door, a gleaming white house sports an Australian flag and a “Vote No to Division” poster hanging from its second-floor balcony.
The most recent Resolve Political Monitor survey, published Monday in Nine Newspapers, showed that 43 percent of voters supported a plan to enshrine Voice in the Constitution, down 20 percentage points from a year ago. a year.
The percentage of Australians in favor of the referendum has fallen for the fifth consecutive month and since the last poll, Victoria has moved to a No majority, leaving Tasmania the only state remaining in the Yes camp.
For Voice to succeed, the Yes campaign needs more than 50 percent of the vote across the country and in four of the six states.
The weakening of support for Voice has also had a knock-on effect on its biggest funder – the Labor government – with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seeing his net performance rating fall to minus 7 per cent.
Despite a decline in support in polls across the board, Yes campaigners remain confident in their argument and say the feedback they are receiving on the ground is very different from that in the polls.
Voting in the referendum is compulsory and failure to comply may result in fines.
