Referendums

Analysis: Lessons to be learned by politicians who campaigned for yes/yes vote

A lack of campaign clarity by the yes side, a conscious weakening of amendment proposals by the government, and the growth of populist sentiment online all offer important political lessons

When the votes were counted, 67.7 per cent rejected the family amendment, while a whopping 73.9 per cent rejected the care amendment.

There was plenty of egg to go around the sullen faces of politicians who had campaigned for a yes/yes vote in the family and care referendums last weekend.

The main political parties were rocked as the public delivered a resounding no/no on the two proposed changes to the constitution: the first updating the definition of the family to be defined by “durable relationships”, and the second replacing the wording on women’s role in the home ...