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Broken Heart: A True History of the Voice Referendum
The inside story of the 2023 Voice Referendum, from Yes to No
In late 2023, Australians voted No to recognising Indigenous peoples through a constitutional Voice. Broken Heart unpacks the true complex history of the referendum, illuminating how an alliance with constitutional conservatives fractured under political pressure, and a proposal conceived in compromise got killed by partisan politics.
Told from the unique insider perspective of a constitutional lawyer who worked closely with Noel Pearson for over a decade, this book analyses the mistakes of the government and Yes advocates, the fickleness and ultimate intransigence of the right, and the betrayals and lies that led to the referendum's defeat.
Broken Heart tells a story of hope and tragedy. But its lessons will assist future reformers and leaders who want to make Australia a better place.
In late 2023, Australians voted No to recognising Indigenous peoples through a constitutional Voice. Broken Heart unpacks the true complex history of the referendum, illuminating how an alliance with constitutional conservatives fractured under political pressure, and a proposal conceived in compromise got killed by partisan politics.
Told from the unique insider perspective of a constitutional lawyer who worked closely with Noel Pearson for over a decade, this book analyses the mistakes of the government and Yes advocates, the fickleness and ultimate intransigence of the right, and the betrayals and lies that led to the referendum's defeat.
Broken Heart tells a story of hope and tragedy. But its lessons will assist future reformers and leaders who want to make Australia a better place.
- GenresNonfiction
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 19, 2024
2 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Shireen Morris
6 books2 followersShireen Morris is a constitutional lawyer and senior lecturer at Macquarie University Law School. She is the author of Radical Heart: Three Stories Make Us One and co-editor of A Rightful Place: A Roadmap to Recognition and The Forgotten People.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 16, 2025
I don’t quite know where to begin with this review. There’s so much I want to say — not just about Shireen Morris’s powerful and forensic account of the failed Voice referendum, but about the ugliness and lingering racial tensions it exposed in Australian public life. This is a book of ringing moral clarity and a deeply hurt yet resilient spirit of love and reconciliation. It chronicles the build-up, the betrayals, the hypocrisies and the aftermath of the warring campaigns with balance, insight and a cathartically permitted anger - even bitterness and the occasional retroactive insult, which in this rare case I found elevating.
Even writing this, I feel an unshakeable hesitation, a self-conscious fear of saying something wrong or stupid or condescending as a practically unaffected, privileged white guy. But then, that's maybe my problem - the reason I didn't do anything helpful one my own part. This tendency towards performative humility often melts too easily into passive bystanding when things heat up. We delay speaking out until it’s too late. And when the moment comes, we’re stunned at the result, though we did little to prevent it ourselves. This is not to say most people did this. Many did get out there, and though the referendum for constitutional enshrinement of the Voice met a thundering rejection, all those volunteers should be commended and feel proud that they stood for something that was right, regardless of one's politics, faith and social status.
But it was in silence - that of timidity, or a more calculated kind that did not want to be seen validating oppositional arguments by combating them - that the once overwhelmingly positive spirit for change was poisoned by the Right, gatekeepers of the status quo in all its systemic blind spots. More tragically and surprisingly, too many on the Left were also hoodwinked into validating the hard conservatism of the No campaign. Silence, smirking punditry, cowardly centrism, and the purposeful manipulation of voters by cynical politicians and a compliant media, that proved (as so often is the case) to be progressive only in word, in virtue-signals, vapid gestures, when the political climate was receptive to it.
I must not make this review in any way about me. Except I feel I need to mention, that it was this ugly period that finally forced me to sever whatever loyalty remained to the Australian Right. To the Coalition, to the raging manosphere in its smug and pandering anti-wokeism, to the post-Trump playbook of cultural warfare. It was the Voice that broke my final fingers still gripped to the edge of a platform where I once called myself a conservative.
I was one of many former Liberal voters who voted Labor for the first time — not out of any particular animosity for Peter Dutton (he more evoked indifference, and vague dislike), but because Anthony Albanese did what his predecessors failed or refused to in nearly a decade of running the country, with Turnbull at least always being keen to flaunt his "progressive" credentials. Finally, in his first term, Albanese put something real on the table. He backed an election promise with actual conviction and he followed through. That’s more than Howard, Abbott, Turnbull, or Morrison ever did or tried to do. Albanese isn't perfect - no one is - but at least he tried to do something that could well have cost him his political career. And for that, I deeply respected him.
What I couldn't stand was the howling hypocrisy of those who had long dismissed Kevin Rudd’s 2008 apology as just words and a happy video for bleeding heart lefties to weep over — as if symbolism were worthless without substance. But then, when Labor finally did push for something more substantive — something designed to be permanent and immune from the whims of future governments — those same people scoffed at it. Now it wasn't symbolic enough! Can't we just say we recognise them in the constitution none of us will ever read or likely think about again? Throw the baby a new toy and perhaps it will shut up crying for a few more minutes. Whatever is offered, it now seems, will always be the wrong thing, at the wrong time, in the wrong way.
The termites have come out of the woodwork. Not just during the campaign, but after the referendum’s failure. As if the ‘No’ camp didn’t get the joyless victory they wanted. Now they seem to want First Nations people punished for having dared to stand up for their rights. I’ve noticed a definite increase in hostility toward even the smallest gestures of respect. They're not even trying to hide it any longer. Then, on the national stage, you have pricks like Clive Palmer and his newest minions ranting about scrapping Welcomes to Country. Of all the issues facing our world, dealing with the costs of living, the housing crisis ... if only I didn't have to sit through that stupid little mantra when the plane comes into Sydney. Then perhaps my life would all be fine. Then you have Dutton, the leader of one of our two biggest parties, saying that he will not stand where any First Nations flag is up beside the national one.
I never bought the whole “it divides us by race” line. The Voice wasn’t about division. It was about ensuring that Indigenous people, the original inhabitants of this continent, could not be legislatively erased — again. It was about putting something into the constitution that couldn’t be undone by a change in government or a shift in polling.
But I was naïve. I believed this would pass. I thought the country would choose decency. Instead, a majority voted No. And what shocked me most wasn’t just the result, but the ease with which people I knew — friends and relatives who were otherwise kindhearted — slid into lazy rejectionism. Not from malice necessarily, but from inertia. The soft ‘No’ — or worse, the pained, self-justifying ‘No’: “It’s not the right model” - “I just don't think it would help and that Price woman - she's Aboriginal - she says that Indigenous people don't want it” - “We should treat everyone equally.”
It’s easy to support causes that don’t demand anything from you. Marriage equality asked for a vote. Abortion reform simply removed an obstacle to what I and many others consider wanton murder, but which our culture and its influencers will insist is good, empowering, a triumph for women and for humankind. But constitutional recognition? The Voice for Indigenous peoples - such as countries like New Zealand and even the United States have had, more or less, for ages now? Apparently, that was too much. Funny, I don't recall people getting all antsy about details and specific legislative wording before anyone had even voted when it came to gay marriage.
And I hate to admit this, but had this vote taken place five or six years ago, I probably would’ve said no too. That is why I cannot take the higher ground and say, "Well, I was for it" — I did nothing when it mattered, and only joined the lament after the fact, when it cost me nothing. I didn’t volunteer. I didn’t campaign. I didn’t knock on doors or stand in the street. I just sat back and assumed we’d do the right thing. When we didn’t, I felt an odd kind of grief, embarrassment, shame and anger — but these were all safe for me to nurture as I got on with my own life, in a country that has not overwhelmingly asserted that I do not matter.
How must Indigenous Australians have felt? How must they still feel? Those who fought for this, who believed in it, who kept speaking against the onslaught of lies and misinformation. The ones who handed out flyers, knocked on doors, opened themselves up to ridicule, derision, and dismissal - sometimes even from the very people they were trying to help.
Shireen Morris doesn’t just chronicle the political mechanics of the referendum — though she does still do this, and with skill and precision. She captures its human cost. The heartbreak. The betrayal. The exhaustion. She names the liars and the bad-faith actors, reserving her sharpest scorn for those who still flaunt themselves as compatriots of the Left. She exposes the disingenuous arguments and oppositions. And most importantly, she offers no comfort to those who want to pretend this wasn’t a national disgrace and a bruise upon our country's moral facade which, I fear, will stay there for a long time.
Everyone should read this book. Most won't, but everyone should.
Even writing this, I feel an unshakeable hesitation, a self-conscious fear of saying something wrong or stupid or condescending as a practically unaffected, privileged white guy. But then, that's maybe my problem - the reason I didn't do anything helpful one my own part. This tendency towards performative humility often melts too easily into passive bystanding when things heat up. We delay speaking out until it’s too late. And when the moment comes, we’re stunned at the result, though we did little to prevent it ourselves. This is not to say most people did this. Many did get out there, and though the referendum for constitutional enshrinement of the Voice met a thundering rejection, all those volunteers should be commended and feel proud that they stood for something that was right, regardless of one's politics, faith and social status.
But it was in silence - that of timidity, or a more calculated kind that did not want to be seen validating oppositional arguments by combating them - that the once overwhelmingly positive spirit for change was poisoned by the Right, gatekeepers of the status quo in all its systemic blind spots. More tragically and surprisingly, too many on the Left were also hoodwinked into validating the hard conservatism of the No campaign. Silence, smirking punditry, cowardly centrism, and the purposeful manipulation of voters by cynical politicians and a compliant media, that proved (as so often is the case) to be progressive only in word, in virtue-signals, vapid gestures, when the political climate was receptive to it.
I must not make this review in any way about me. Except I feel I need to mention, that it was this ugly period that finally forced me to sever whatever loyalty remained to the Australian Right. To the Coalition, to the raging manosphere in its smug and pandering anti-wokeism, to the post-Trump playbook of cultural warfare. It was the Voice that broke my final fingers still gripped to the edge of a platform where I once called myself a conservative.
I was one of many former Liberal voters who voted Labor for the first time — not out of any particular animosity for Peter Dutton (he more evoked indifference, and vague dislike), but because Anthony Albanese did what his predecessors failed or refused to in nearly a decade of running the country, with Turnbull at least always being keen to flaunt his "progressive" credentials. Finally, in his first term, Albanese put something real on the table. He backed an election promise with actual conviction and he followed through. That’s more than Howard, Abbott, Turnbull, or Morrison ever did or tried to do. Albanese isn't perfect - no one is - but at least he tried to do something that could well have cost him his political career. And for that, I deeply respected him.
What I couldn't stand was the howling hypocrisy of those who had long dismissed Kevin Rudd’s 2008 apology as just words and a happy video for bleeding heart lefties to weep over — as if symbolism were worthless without substance. But then, when Labor finally did push for something more substantive — something designed to be permanent and immune from the whims of future governments — those same people scoffed at it. Now it wasn't symbolic enough! Can't we just say we recognise them in the constitution none of us will ever read or likely think about again? Throw the baby a new toy and perhaps it will shut up crying for a few more minutes. Whatever is offered, it now seems, will always be the wrong thing, at the wrong time, in the wrong way.
The termites have come out of the woodwork. Not just during the campaign, but after the referendum’s failure. As if the ‘No’ camp didn’t get the joyless victory they wanted. Now they seem to want First Nations people punished for having dared to stand up for their rights. I’ve noticed a definite increase in hostility toward even the smallest gestures of respect. They're not even trying to hide it any longer. Then, on the national stage, you have pricks like Clive Palmer and his newest minions ranting about scrapping Welcomes to Country. Of all the issues facing our world, dealing with the costs of living, the housing crisis ... if only I didn't have to sit through that stupid little mantra when the plane comes into Sydney. Then perhaps my life would all be fine. Then you have Dutton, the leader of one of our two biggest parties, saying that he will not stand where any First Nations flag is up beside the national one.
I never bought the whole “it divides us by race” line. The Voice wasn’t about division. It was about ensuring that Indigenous people, the original inhabitants of this continent, could not be legislatively erased — again. It was about putting something into the constitution that couldn’t be undone by a change in government or a shift in polling.
But I was naïve. I believed this would pass. I thought the country would choose decency. Instead, a majority voted No. And what shocked me most wasn’t just the result, but the ease with which people I knew — friends and relatives who were otherwise kindhearted — slid into lazy rejectionism. Not from malice necessarily, but from inertia. The soft ‘No’ — or worse, the pained, self-justifying ‘No’: “It’s not the right model” - “I just don't think it would help and that Price woman - she's Aboriginal - she says that Indigenous people don't want it” - “We should treat everyone equally.”
It’s easy to support causes that don’t demand anything from you. Marriage equality asked for a vote. Abortion reform simply removed an obstacle to what I and many others consider wanton murder, but which our culture and its influencers will insist is good, empowering, a triumph for women and for humankind. But constitutional recognition? The Voice for Indigenous peoples - such as countries like New Zealand and even the United States have had, more or less, for ages now? Apparently, that was too much. Funny, I don't recall people getting all antsy about details and specific legislative wording before anyone had even voted when it came to gay marriage.
And I hate to admit this, but had this vote taken place five or six years ago, I probably would’ve said no too. That is why I cannot take the higher ground and say, "Well, I was for it" — I did nothing when it mattered, and only joined the lament after the fact, when it cost me nothing. I didn’t volunteer. I didn’t campaign. I didn’t knock on doors or stand in the street. I just sat back and assumed we’d do the right thing. When we didn’t, I felt an odd kind of grief, embarrassment, shame and anger — but these were all safe for me to nurture as I got on with my own life, in a country that has not overwhelmingly asserted that I do not matter.
How must Indigenous Australians have felt? How must they still feel? Those who fought for this, who believed in it, who kept speaking against the onslaught of lies and misinformation. The ones who handed out flyers, knocked on doors, opened themselves up to ridicule, derision, and dismissal - sometimes even from the very people they were trying to help.
Shireen Morris doesn’t just chronicle the political mechanics of the referendum — though she does still do this, and with skill and precision. She captures its human cost. The heartbreak. The betrayal. The exhaustion. She names the liars and the bad-faith actors, reserving her sharpest scorn for those who still flaunt themselves as compatriots of the Left. She exposes the disingenuous arguments and oppositions. And most importantly, she offers no comfort to those who want to pretend this wasn’t a national disgrace and a bruise upon our country's moral facade which, I fear, will stay there for a long time.
Everyone should read this book. Most won't, but everyone should.
March 10, 2026
I was crushed by the defeat of the Voice referendum, appalled that such a simple request would be rebuffed by so many people through fear and -although no one wanted to own it - racism. No wonder First Peoples kept silent immediately afterwards, because the implications were just too awful. I can't imagine how the people who had been the 'face' of the Yes case felt. Broken Heart by Shireen Morris tells us.
Shireen Morris starts off by explaining her own position: neither Indigenous nor white. She is of Indian Fijian ancestry, the daughter of parents who migrated to Australia in the 1970s. This placed her in an ambiguous position. It was a political reality that the Indigenous 3% minority would need supporters and the advocates from the 97% for the referendum to pass, and somehow the white constitutional lawyers and advisers, seemed revered and respected. But as a non-white ally, she was often accused of being 'not blak'.
She is a constitutional lawyer, whose primary focus under the mentorship of Noel Pearson and the Cape York Institute over the previous 12 years had been Indigenous constitutional recognition. Noel Pearson and the Cape York Institute promote the idea of the Radical Centre, but there's little evidence of it in this book. People changed sides, allies became opponents, people lied.
The book starts with a timeline, starting in 2012 through to the referendum on 14 October, when 40% voted 'yes' and approximately 60% voted 'no'. It wasn't always that way: there was around 60% support at first until mid-2023.
There's a lot of if-onlys here: if only the Coalition had championed a Voice during their time in government; if only Turnbull had not rejected it in 2017;if only people like Tony Abbott, Christian Porter, Jeff Kennett, Alan Jones and many others had not switched from Yes to No; if only the constitutional drafters Greg Craven and Frank Brennan had not attacked the constitutional drafting; if only the compromises Indigenous people made had been saved for when people were paying more attention. If only the Labor government had explained the constitutional change better, and been able to encourage Coalition co-ownership. If only the YES campaign had started campaigning in earnest much earlier; and if only it had better strategies for countering disinformation. If only the media had not prosecuted false balance, and had critiqued mistruths. If only we had better politicians: a bit smarter on the left and much kinder on the right.
And most importantly:
"If only we were better Australians, more generous with our love and less susceptible to fear. "p. 219
I don't know where to go with this, and I don't think that Shireen Morris does either. Her mentor, Noel Pearson, said that he would step back from politics, and he has been true to his word. What a depressing story.
For my complete review please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2026/03/10/...
Shireen Morris starts off by explaining her own position: neither Indigenous nor white. She is of Indian Fijian ancestry, the daughter of parents who migrated to Australia in the 1970s. This placed her in an ambiguous position. It was a political reality that the Indigenous 3% minority would need supporters and the advocates from the 97% for the referendum to pass, and somehow the white constitutional lawyers and advisers, seemed revered and respected. But as a non-white ally, she was often accused of being 'not blak'.
She is a constitutional lawyer, whose primary focus under the mentorship of Noel Pearson and the Cape York Institute over the previous 12 years had been Indigenous constitutional recognition. Noel Pearson and the Cape York Institute promote the idea of the Radical Centre, but there's little evidence of it in this book. People changed sides, allies became opponents, people lied.
The book starts with a timeline, starting in 2012 through to the referendum on 14 October, when 40% voted 'yes' and approximately 60% voted 'no'. It wasn't always that way: there was around 60% support at first until mid-2023.
There's a lot of if-onlys here: if only the Coalition had championed a Voice during their time in government; if only Turnbull had not rejected it in 2017;if only people like Tony Abbott, Christian Porter, Jeff Kennett, Alan Jones and many others had not switched from Yes to No; if only the constitutional drafters Greg Craven and Frank Brennan had not attacked the constitutional drafting; if only the compromises Indigenous people made had been saved for when people were paying more attention. If only the Labor government had explained the constitutional change better, and been able to encourage Coalition co-ownership. If only the YES campaign had started campaigning in earnest much earlier; and if only it had better strategies for countering disinformation. If only the media had not prosecuted false balance, and had critiqued mistruths. If only we had better politicians: a bit smarter on the left and much kinder on the right.
And most importantly:
"If only we were better Australians, more generous with our love and less susceptible to fear. "p. 219
I don't know where to go with this, and I don't think that Shireen Morris does either. Her mentor, Noel Pearson, said that he would step back from politics, and he has been true to his word. What a depressing story.
For my complete review please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2026/03/10/...
February 26, 2025
A thoughtful work on the referendum campaign for the Voice that identifies some of the shortcomings, issues and frustrations of those involved in the "Yes" campaign. The detailed history and explanations were very useful and it was interesting to get an 'insiders' perspective on events leading up to the vote. The introductory and ending chapters were powerful statements that helped lift me out of the despair I had been feeling since the failed referendum. I liked the detailed analysis and descriptions of events, albeit from one perspective only. I didn't like some of the attempts at self-justification and the somewhat blinkered perspective in some parts of the book. Overall it was a helpful read for someone interested in the campaign and its failure.
January 31, 2025
If you are at all in the history of our recent referendum on Indigenous voice this is a fabulous book. It is distressing but tells the history well. I learnt so much about the constitution and the role of conservatives in drafting the original words of the proposed amendment as well as the concessions made by indigenous people. The behaviour of the conservative politicians is appalling. The dignity and generosity of indigenous people is astounding. It is a little repetitive and dry - it is written by a lawyer! Highly recommend
September 7, 2024
Perhaps a somewhat tiresome rehash of the Yeats ‘centre cannot hold’ mantra, but the attack of con con’s (her words) is worth the price of admission
At the end of the day, it’s a book about defeat. A modest proposal defeated by troglodytes and racists, a media who would rather quote old Catholic men as authority rather than First Nations people
At the end of the day, it’s a book about defeat. A modest proposal defeated by troglodytes and racists, a media who would rather quote old Catholic men as authority rather than First Nations people
November 22, 2024
I had a lot of questions about what happened at this referendum. This book helped me understand. I think it may be too soon to really evaluate what went wrong.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews