“There just wasn’t enough clarity from the government to explain what the process was going to be and what the actual outcomes were going to be, it was just massive red flags,” Brian said.

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“They had massive corporations all on board, BHP and Qantas. That just feels like more red flags, the only reason they’d be on board is to make a profit. That’s what it’s all about.”

Bryan said the campaign had been unfortunate because “no one wants division between any race in this country, we are all equal” but Yes campaigners had been “arrogant”.

Robert, another Strathpine local, said he had voted No because “I don’t like the idea of dividing our nation. Government should already be taking into account [the needs] of everyone, [regardless of] race, religion or creed”.

His friend Natasha, who usually votes Greens, said she had been completely torn and could have gone either way. The decisive factor for her had been some Indigenous leaders speaking out.

“I was actually Yes in the beginning but then after hearing from more people, especially Aboriginal elders that I have respected a lot, I’ve listened to a lot more of that. And I think that’s kind of swayed me a bit,” she said.

“ I think, also, something my husband said to me, he’s like, ‘so if we do this for Indigenous Australians, then who next?’ What other nationality that’s in Australia? You know, the Chinese, do they then get a Voice?”

But in Brisbane’s suburb of West End, resident Peter Branjerdporn wore an “Always Was and Always Will Be” shirt as he joined a throng of voters at the inner-city West End State School.

“I voted Yes today because I’m a pharmacist and I really think we need to close the gap,” he said. “I do believe the Voice will inform the decisions that are made.”

Branjerdporn said other health professionals he had spoken to helped him decide which way to vote.

In Melbourne’s Reservoir, progressive No campaigner, independent senator Lidia Thorpe, voted at the Northern School for Autism.

Thorpe, a Djabwurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman who quit the Greens over the Voice and who has long called for a treaty to be prioritised ahead of the body, said it would not make a difference to Indigenous lives.

“How dare 97 per cent of this country decide our destiny,” she told reporters.

“This referendum has done nothing but hurt people, divide communities, divide families.”

As she cast her ballot, she said it was a “sad day”.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.