To our magnificent volunteers
I know you’re feeling gutted by the results of the referendum - we certainly are too.
Take care of yourself comrade, reach out to other campaigners because we’ll need you back. We have a world to win.
We at Trades Hall want to acknowledge the leadership and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout the Voice campaign and express our gratitude, solidarity and sorrow at this loss and offer our commitment to showing up again.
Peter Dutton and the Federal Liberal party turned a generous invitation for change into a divisive fear campaign and showed us yet again that the Liberals have no solutions or positive change to offer. We hope you'll join us in holding them accountable for their actions at the next election.
In spite of that hostile opposition we ran a massive grassroots campaign. We were asked to show up, and we did. That cross-movement solidarity will last forever.
Here are some things to be proud of in Victoria:
- 5,292 volunteers joined our campaign
- 1,200 activists used our ‘YES Campaign Kit’ to run local street stalls
- 100,000 joined our ‘Walk For Yes’
- Trained 1,242 in how to have a Yes conversation
- Australia’s biggest doorknock with 400 volunteers in Cairnlea
- 600 volunteers gave out 100,000 FAQ booklets during our Statewide Station Blitz
- At our peak 100 actions a week and nightly phone banks and
- Lastly, so many of you handed out how-to-vote cards on Saturday and we returned the biggest 'Yes' result in the country
We are a powerful movement of people who know how to make change.
In Victoria we have started the process for Treaty and Truth with the First People’s Assembly. This work must continue.
Progress is made by the people who show up. And I know we can count on you to keep showing up.
Luke