Voice referendum fails, what's next for New England?

"First of all let's let the dust settle, respect the outcome of the vote, then move forward on an approach towards reconciliation, but not with a constitutional change," he told the Leader the day after the referendum.

The former deputy prime minister represents an area with one of the highest proportions of 'No' votes in the country.

At the time of publication, the latest official count for New England shows 73,516 people (75.75 per cent) voting 'No' and 24,176 (24.75 per cent) voting 'Yes', with about 85 per cent of votes counted.

Some polling stations recorded even higher percentages, with small rural towns like Yetman, Loomberah, Delungra, and Bonshaw each posting more than 90 per cent 'No' votes.

Out of 96 polling stations across the region, only one attracted a majority of 'Yes' votes.*

The Madgwick polling station at the University of New England's Austin College in Armidale recorded 98 votes for 'yes' and 65 votes for 'no,' making it the only one in New England to attract a majority in favour of changing the constitution.

Mr Joyce said he thinks the reason his electorate gave an "overwhelming no" to the referendum is because people in the area care more about cost of living pressures than racial issues.

"The dividing line on this one was between inner-suburban affluence and the inner suburbs and regional areas that are doing it tough," he said.

"The places that all voted strongly yes, the teal seats, also have the lowest percentage of Aboriginal people within their electorate."

Mr Joyce, who has long been one of the 'No' campaign's most vocal proponents, said there were many "other ways" to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians without touching the constitution, and that he wanted to focus on improving the conditions of all Australians.

"[Regional areas] understand the problems better than most, but the problems in our areas are not just health, education, and incarceration among Aboriginal people, it's health, education, and incarceration also amongst poor white people. Poverty doesn't discriminate," he said.

"I want to look after you for the conditions I find you in, not on the premise of the colour of your skin."

The member for New England didn't give further details on how to close the gap or alleviate poverty, but said opposition leader Peter Dutton's idea of a second referendum on constitutional recognition for Indigenous people is "more achievable" than a Voice to Parliament.

Mr Joyce said it's "as a statement of fact" that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were the first humans in Australia, but recognising them in the constitution wouldn't mean much from a material perspective.

"It's true that people's Aboriginal forebears were the first people in Australia. That doesn't mean that you were the first person in Australia, your forebears were the first people in Australia ... lots of people have Aboriginal fore bearers," he said.

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Mr Joyce also said another reason regional areas broadly voted 'No' was because questions of race made people feel "uncomfortable".

"We hated the referendum because it made life so awkward, everybody was walking on eggshells," he said.

"It was like having a referendum on how do you think your marriage is going. No one wants that, they feel it's a rude question to ask, to start off with."

But he also said the 'No' campaign won "not because people don't want a path to improvement for Aboriginal people, they just didn't want to do it this way".

"I don't think for one second that Australian people are turning away from a continued process of reconciliation, just as I don't think for one second that people don't want to help out white people doing it tough in certain areas," Mr Joyce said.

"So let's work out how we can do this in a better form that gets the support of the Australian people and lets learn from the mistakes that were self-evident in that referendum, which was a divisive debacle."

On voting night, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gave an emotional address accepting the failure of the Voice referendum, saying he would now seek a "new way forward" for Indigenous recognition and reconciliation.

The Prime Minister refused to answer questions on what the referendum result means for Treaty and Truth-telling, two other pillars of the Uluru Statement from the Heart from which calls for the Voice originated.

When asked, Mr Joyce said he wouldn't rule out Treaty or Truth-telling as potential paths to reconciliation, but he slammed the Prime Minister for "playing tricks on the Australian people" by not telling them "exactly what he's got in mind".

"We'd have to look at what it means. A treaty is a word. I need details, and if I don't have them, the answer's going to be no," he said.

"In anything in politics, I will give you an answer when I see the details, and if I can't get all the details my answer is no."

*Two polling stations in Armidale and Tamworth's also recorded a majority 'Yes' vote on referendum day, but both served as pre-polling voting centres. Including pre-poll votes makes both stations majority 'No'

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