Reporting by Kate Ashton
In Melbourne’s affluent inner south-east, these two private school boys decided to vote differently from each other.
Cooper, 18, said he voted Yes because the Voice was a good first step.
“Referendums don’t come around that often,” he said after casting his vote in Brighton.
“We’ve made one step towards honouring our First Peoples, it’s good to see that … any step is a good step.”
Cooper’s friend Blake said he voted No at the ballot box after being convinced by the No campaigner at the polling place.
“The limitation of a referendum is that the detailed facts can be hard to understand,” the 18-year old said.
“I didn’t really understand the facts so I thought I would just vote No.”
The pair, who are both in year 12, said they had learnt about the referendum at school.
Cooper said it didn’t bother him that his friend voted differently.
“We both have adequate knowledge on it … despite us having different views on it, I think that doesn’t really matter,” he said.