One Word Sums Up Our Voice Campaign

Dear friend,

Indulge me for a minute while I thank the two volunteers in this photo.

Graeme and Susan have lent their time — and their home — to our Voice campaign in some truly remarkable ways.

For the past week their home has been over-run by booth materials ahead of tomorrow’s referendum — booth materials that were only ready because the couple hosted a working bee there last week.

That’s not all. Along with 15 other incredible volunteers in the distribution team, they helped to drop off more than 2,000 Voice corflutes around Kooyong and beyond, and played a key role in our doorknocking program.

There are too many volunteers like Graeme and Susan to count. People like Julie, who has given up every weekend over the past few months to go doorknocking, or Chith, who was volunteering at pre-poll this week despite having not yet finished school.

I keep coming back to one word that sums up Kooyong’s Voice campaign: community.

Our wonderful corner of the world got together and created a Voice campaign, backed by hundreds and hundreds of volunteers who took time out of their lives to support a cause they are deeply passionate about.

The result was a Voice movement which led the nation.

Together, Kooyong:

• Distributed 2,048 Voice corflutes;

• Knocked on 21,274 doors; and

• Involved more than 650 volunteers.

We also have more than 500 people signed up to help at a polling booth tomorrow (with a few more spots available here).

Whatever the result tomorrow, I want to say thank you to everyone who volunteered, hosted a corflute, or spoke to their friends and family about such an important vote.

There’s still time to help out. If you have friends or family who are undecided, have a conversation with them about how they’re voting.

Let them know the idea for a Voice came from Indigenous Australians, borne out of the Uluru Statement From The Heart.

Let them know the Voice is just an advisory body — and that they should not believe misinformation about ‘paying the rent’ and the like.

Let them know that all of us will benefit from an Australia with better health, education and economic outcomes.

Let them know that the cost of voting know will be borne not just by this generation but by the next.

And let them know that ‘No’ leads us nowhere. For decades governments have tried and failed to Close The Gap on life expectancy, employment, and education.

The referendum gives us a chance to try something different. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Thanks again for your help and support.

Chat soon,

P.S. Click here to find out where your nearest polling booth is tomorrow.