by Cam Lucadou-Wells
Pockets of Greater Dandenong defied the national mood against the proposed Voice to Parliament in the 14 October national referendum.
Nationally, the majority of voters in every Australian state emphatically chose ‘No’ to enshrining an indigenous advisory voice to Parliament in Australia’s Constitution. Overall, 60.5 per cent voted against the proposal.
Victoria recorded the highest ‘Yes’ vote with 45 per cent.
Voters in Bruce voted 42 per cent in favour of the Voice while the more inner-suburban Hotham (49 per cent ‘Yes’) and Isaacs electorates (50 per cent ‘Yes’) were evenly divided.
In Bruce, booths in central Dandenong, Hallam and Doveton were pro-Voice, while booths in Dandenong North, Dandenong South, Endeavour Hills and Narre Warren and the Dandenong early voter centre were against.
In Hotham, the strongest pockets of pro-Voice support were in Keysborough, Noble Park, Westall, Hughesdale, McKinnon, Oakleigh, Sandown, Springvale, Springvale South, Clayton and Bentleigh East.
Majority ‘No’ votes were at booths in Clarinda, Dandenong North and Mulgrave as well as early voter centres in Noble Park and Mulgrave.
In Isaacs, the most pro-Yes booths were in Aspendale, Bonbeach, Carrum, Chelsea, Cheltenham, Edithvale, Menton, Moorabbin and Keysborough.
The strongest No votes were in Dandenong South, Dandenong North, Dingley Village and Patterson Lakes.
Greater Dandenong Council publicly supported the Voice proposal, including the hosting of a Dandenong Multicultural Communities for the Voice event on 8 October.
Labor MPs Julian Hill, Mark Dreyfus and Clare O’Neil respectively holding Bruce, Isaacs and Hotham also publicly backed the ‘Yes’ campaign.
