A senator has dropped by Dubbo to lend her support to local Voice campaigners.
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Deborah O'Neill, Labor's duty senator for the Parkes electorate, was in Dubbo on Thursday helping local 'Yes' campaigners spread their message to the community at the Church Street rotunda.
"I think this is an amazing country and a wonderful thing we have is our democracy and we should never ever take it for granted," she said.
"One of the great things about this country is that we adopted a constitution and formed a federation in 1901.
"But there was a very significant omission, a failure to acknowledge what everybody knows, to be the truth, Aboriginal people were here. This referendum gives us the chance to right that omission."
The senator's visit was a much-needed morale boost for the Dubbo for Yes group amidst dwindling support for the Voice.
A survey by ACM, the publisher of this newspaper, revealed opposition to the Voice is highest in Dubbo, where 80 per cent of respondents said they intend to vote 'No' - up from 72 per cent.
Across all areas surveyed, only 34 per cent of voters said they intend to say 'Yes' on the referendum, 61 per cent said they will vote 'No' and 5 per cent were yet to make up their minds.
Ms O'Neill commended the local campaigners for their enthusiasm and commitment, despite the polls.
"The first thing I heard when I got here was there's been lots of people driving up and down but it's been really respectful," she said.
"That's exactly what we want in our democracy. Regardless whether it's a 'Yes' or a 'No' outcome for the referendum, it's really critically important that we develop the skills to talk to one another respectfully.
"And I think that for me, an act of respect right now for Aboriginal people is a 'Yes' vote to show our fellow Australians, 'we see you, we know you were here' and we think it's a good idea that you have an advisory body to improve life outcomes."
Regardless of the outcome of the referendum on October 14, voter participation will be at a record high with 97.7 per cent of eligible Australians enrolled to vote.
In NSW, 99 per cent of the estimated eligible population enrolled to vote - the highest of any state or territory. Enrolment in Victoria is not far behind at 98.3 per cent. Enrolment in the Northern Territory is lowest at 91.7 per cent.
Ms O'Neill's stop in Dubbo was part of a tour of regional NSW which also included a visit to Henty for the Machinery Field Day where she cut the ribbon on a new telecommunications tower.
"One of the things I want to do is get the message out that Labor is getting on with the job and making sure that every Australian taxpayer dollar really works hard for the benefit of the whole country," she said.
"And we know that the regions have just been left behind and that favourites have been played. People have got things in ways that were inexplicable and communities that put in grant application after grant application didn't get anything and were taken for granted.
"We don't operate that way."
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