Official results by the Australian Electoral Commission as of 10pm on Saturday night, four hours after the poll closed, and after an emotional prime minister Anthony Albanese conceded the loss of his Yes campaign at 9pm aired live on ABC, all divisions in Western Sydney have already resoundingly voted No.
In Chifley held by Labor Party’s innovations minister Ed Husic, the no votes among its 127,433 registered voters were 59.59 percent with more than 60 percent of results from 47 polling places counted after 8pm.
Labor communications minister Michelle Rowland’s Greenway electorate had 56.79 percent of no votes with 43.21 percent yes from among 126,428 registered electors.
The Parramatta seat won by first time Labor MP Andrew Charlton is on 54.51 percent no while neighbouring Mitchell with Liberal MP and a former cabinet minister in Scott Morrison’s government Alex Hawke was polling 58.53 percent no.
Hawke’s fellow Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh in Lindsay, covering the Penrith and lower Blue Mountains on the top end of Western Sydney, has showed 69.14 percent no, so far recording the highest percentage in the no campaign in the region.
Independent first time MP Dai Le’s seat of Fowler has returned the third highest percentage of 60.27 percent no while the Macarthur seat of Labor’s Dr Mike Freelander in the southwest coming second with 64.79 percent of no votes.
Popular Labor MP Susan Templeman in the Macquarie seat is polling with 56.94 percent no with more than 55 percent of the votes counted.
About 1.2 million eligible voters in these Western Sydney seats that recorded their earliest polling results were registered with the AEC to vote in the referendum.
The AEC said Western Sydney’s diverse electorates were provided with referendum materials in 35 languages as well as First Nations languages, available in video and as printed materials to help them understand how to enrol and vote.
The results came as no surprise, according to the Liberal Party’s state MP Robyn Preston in the Hawkesbury seat, which is within Ms Templeman’s federal seat.
Western Sydney Express interviewed Ms Preston at Windsor after volunteering to hand out the no camp’s flyers at Pitt Town Public School.
“I am really pleased with the way Hawkesbury’s people approached this referendum. It showed we were respectful of everyone’s choice and that is what is it is all about, respect for democracy and this result will show that is how it should be.” Ms Preston said.
Ms Preston said she voted no like other residents in her northwest suburb and observed that “everyone was respectful and courteous with each other” as voters made their choices.
Just as the polling centres were set to close at the suburb situated at the end of the Western Sydney train line in Richmond, Kirsty Klein, 29, of Colo Heights came rushing to cast her vote in the referendum.
The AEC preliminary national tally showed No vote is 60.25 percent while Yes is 39.75 percent of the count of more than 17.6 million Australians who registered to vote from across the country.
By state and territory, the results are:
- NSW – 59.18 percent No; 40.82 percent Yes.
- Queensland – 68.47 percent No; 31.53 percent Yes.
- South Australia – 64.39 percent No; 35.61 percent Yes.
- Tasmania – 59.20 percent No; 40.80 percent Yes.
- Victoria – 53.68 percent No; 46.32 percent Yes.
- Western Australia – 63.46 percent No; 36.54 percent Yes.
- Northern Territory – 61.75 percent No; 38.25 percent Yes.
More details on https://tallyroom.aec.gov.au/ReferendumNationalResults-29581.htm
