Indigenous elder Uncle Lenny Clarke responds to Voice defeat

More than 64 per cent of Wannon voters wrote no on the referendum ballots on Saturday, results from the Australian Electoral Commission show.

Uncle Lenny hosted Yes campaign volunteers at his Framlingham/Purnim home in the hours after polls closed on October 14.

He said people were visibly upset at the result.

"In the 1967 referendum a large percentage of Australian people voted in favour of Aboriginal people having their say," he said.

"Today they have not.

"We weren't asking for much, we weren't asking for people's backyards and property which was misinformation circulating, we were just asking to be heard and instead of them granting us that, do you know what we got? A backhand across the mouth."

Uncle Lenny said he was disappointed in the "scare campaigning" in the lead up to the referendum.

"Now we are left scared of the racism that is rearing its ugly head," he said.

"This will give the racist movement the OK."

Uncle Lenny called for Wannon MP Dan Tehan, who previously said a lack of detail was behind his decision to vote 'no', to visit the communities he voted against.

"You would think a former minister for education would have clearly understood," he said.

"Our community has missed out completely."

Uncle Lenny said although disappointing, his community would not be deterred by the result.

"There is a very strong goodwill in this community and this was shown through our volunteers who are here now, and through their work throughout this campaign," he said.

"We have got a lot of help and we need to move on. There's not much we can do at this stage but wait for the next government policy to fail.

"We are a well-organised group who know what we want and we will keep on fighting."

Mr Tehan was contacted for comment.

No campaigner Jim Doukas said he was rapt with the result.

"How good is that? Well done to all Australians," he said.

"From here it'll be business as usual. Around here, it won't make a difference because the Voice was never going to do much anyway."

Mr Doukas said there was not enough information about the Voice to Parliament in the lead up to voting day.

He said going forward, there should be a "good forensic audit about where the money goes and how it can be directed in a better way".

Jack Schiller, who organised Warrnambool for Yes with partner Florence Roney, said it was an obviously disappointing result.

The pair helped organise and set up the Uncle Lenny Clarke and the Community for Yes Concert on September 29, volunteered at pre-polling and polling booths, sent daily texts and emails and coordinated stalls and letter-box dropping.

"Across the region we put together a volunteer group of about 500 people who put everything they've got into it and it feels like at the moment, it was for nothing," Mr Schiller said.

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