The thing is the states were unanimously in line with the national consensus on this. The only outliers were a few tiny pockets (like remote communities of indigenous people and a handful of inner city suburbs).

The more I come to terms with the referendum the more I'm convinced that any attempt to move the needle on this issue is doomed to failure. It's a sure path to losing an election and giving whoever wins a mandate to entrench the status quo even stronger than it already is.

I said it was a step backwards yesterday but I think I was wrong. It's a reality check. I think the referendum has brought to light what the Australian people really think (and we are clearly divided on this issue, don't forget almost ten million people voted yes...). As shitty as it is to learn how many people are against us, it's better to know that than to be blissfully ignorant.

We have failed to constitutionally enshrined a Voice, but doing so still needs to be the next thing we do on this subject. It's more important than it ever was. The people who voted No need to admit they were wrong and I want to see evidence that millions of people have changed their mind before I can see any path forward towards real meaningful change.