BLACK AND WHITE: the media-managed gap that must close.

Samuel Clench points to "the awkward reality of the referendum result. Indigenous Australians wanted a constitutionally enshrined Voice, and the rest of the country has denied it to them."

Clench, on News Online, reports that "In total across the remote communities, 8,638 people voted in favour of the referendum, with 3,134 voting against it. That's a 73% Yes result."

Only the ACT voted in favour of the YES case according to the front pages of the media-managed reports of the only poll that we can take seriously. Just as the national polls successfully reflected the continuing conservatism of white Australia, and Cash, Price and the coalition continue to claim that indigenous support for yes was a lie, there has been limited reporting of the truth of the ballot box.

Tucked away on the inside pages of The AGE, Shane Wright reports that "Polling booths servicing majority indigenous populations were more likely to support the Yes vote in the referendum, a breakdown of electorates across the country shows."

On Mornington Island, within the ultra-conservative seat of Kennedy, with a large proportion of Indigenous residents, 78% voted YES.

On Palm Island, which lies in the electorate of Herbert, with an Indigenous population of over 90% at the last Census, 75% of the vote was for Yes The population of Hope Vale in the electorate of Leichardt delivered a Yes vote of 75%

By way of comparison, David Littleproud’s sprawling western electorate of Maranoa had the highest No vote, with 84.12 per cent, while 65.05 per cent of voters in Peter Dutton’s outer Brisbane seat of Dickson cast No ballots.

Since 2018, Reconciliation Australia has included a question in its biennial poll, the Australian Reconciliation Barometer, on whether it is important to "protect a First Nations Body in the Constitution". Although this poll has drawn academic attention, there is some dispute over whether the data from this question is suitable for discovering public opinion on the Indigenous Voice. Francis Markham and William Sanders included the question in their analysis, taking respondents indicating the importance to be expressing support for the Voice and respondents indicating unimportance, or opposition.

One clear message is to be taken from this divisive rejection of the isolated reality of Australian life outside the national capital - Australasians feel neglected, vulnerable and YES - 'left behind,.'

I applaud the achievements of the pollsters, who have been proven to be in touch with the nation's mood, despite continuing concerns that the voices of indigenous peoples in remote communities were not adequately surveyed. Early in October, YouGov showed NO with 53%, Newspoll showed 56% NO votes, and Resolve Strategic 67% without specifically interviewing people in their homes around the nation. They concentrated on pushing the views of white Australians.

A month ago, Roy Morgan conducted a special online survey with an Australia-wide cross-section of 1,511 Australian electors aged 18+ and advised that 44% (up 8% points since May) of Australians say they would vote ‘No’ to establish an ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice’ the first time more Australians have indicated to Roy Morgan they would vote ‘No’ to this proposition.

JWS told us long before the polls opened that a double majority appears out of reach for the YES case, as the NO vote continues to grow for an Indigenous Voice. Less than four in ten voters (36%) now support this change and will vote (or have already voted) YES, similar to 39% in June but lower than 42% in February and 43% in August 2022.

Some media organisations have surveyed their audiences about their views and then weighted the results by various demographic factors in an attempt to make the results nationally representative but admit that if you are living in a remote community without the internet≤ ( or freshwater) your voice is not scored.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

As I indicated in earlier columns, there were several reasons for the growing support for a vote against The Voice as the solution to the need to close the gap, hear the truth of those impacted by White Australian racism and extend the consultation on treaties that have begun in the States and Territories.

As Senator Thorpe has repeatedly said, the real issues are not to be resolved by inaction under a Colonial Constitution, but in the homes of the communities facing authoritarian, arbitrary failure to implement the evidence that has been provided after a series of Royal Commissions that require attention rather than yet more of them to defer urgent action to close the gaps and restore peace, order and good government before the next version of the only poll that continues to get it right.

Earlier figures showed that the bureaucratic bubble of Canberra's public servants ( rather than national civil service) appeared to have little understanding or shared values with even the people of the ACT - let alone the nation. Price, Little and Mundine have confirmed the failure to hear the call for local and regional voices and the voices of the millions impacted by economic treasury and RBA models to appreciate the impact of using vulnerability as a substitute for needed actions.

The results in neighbouring New Zealand, with Labor being dumped, show that we need truth-telling, an independent AEC public opinion poll to close the gap between the white truth of News and the black reality of Skye after-dark. Today both nations have also sent a message- the bubble of urban, educated, intellectual isolation has been pricked by the compassion of the electorates away from the bureaucratic bubbles.