"The room was full of overwhelming support for the Voice."
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Those were were words of Uluru youth dialogue ambassador Alisha Agland after hundreds gathered at the Hotel Canobolas on August 23 to discuss the upcoming referendum.
Ms Agland is part of the Orange Region Voice Working Group which helped organise the event and said it was a "very emotional and inspiring night."
![David Pocock and Andrew Gee were two of the panelists at the Canobolas Hotel on August 23 for a discussion about the Voice. Pictures by Sinéad Fogarty David Pocock and Andrew Gee were two of the panelists at the Canobolas Hotel on August 23 for a discussion about the Voice. Pictures by Sinéad Fogarty](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YN4FA67iw2pXwXjwm2vmnJ/508af8c7-b360-4996-b778-c6d401d2c032.png/r0_0_1920_1079_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"There was a lot of debunking of misinformation," she noted.
"It was great to see people reassured and equipped to have these conversations with their friends and family."
Ms Agland said a key topic brought up at the meeting was in regard to "confusion" relating to what a "yes" decision would actually mean.
![Former Wallaby and current ACT Independent Senator David Pocock was in Orange to discuss the Voice. Picture by Sinéad Fogarty Former Wallaby and current ACT Independent Senator David Pocock was in Orange to discuss the Voice. Picture by Sinéad Fogarty](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YN4FA67iw2pXwXjwm2vmnJ/38f89992-c662-4115-8e23-c0794eefb13d.jpg/r0_254_4969_3059_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Australian Government website states the Voice would be an independent and permanent advisory body and that it would give advice to the Australian Parliament and government on matters that affect the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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"Those that are driving the "no" campaign are unfortunately using confusion as a tool to prey on mistrust for First Nations people," Ms Agland added.
![Hundreds of people gathered at the Hotel Canobolas on August 23 for a discussion about the Voice to Parliament. Picture by Sinéad Fogarty Hundreds of people gathered at the Hotel Canobolas on August 23 for a discussion about the Voice to Parliament. Picture by Sinéad Fogarty](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YN4FA67iw2pXwXjwm2vmnJ/7a80ebef-729b-44d6-a0bf-f8f7409d2de6.jpg/r0_508_5571_3653_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I certainly didn't expect to feel so supported in a space of 200 people, but that was certainly the case."
She added that although there have been high profile Indigenous people - such as politician Jacinta Price - advocating against a "yes" vote, a survey conducted by YouGov in March showed more than 80 per cent of Indigenous people were in favour of the Voice.
"We were able to talk very truthfully about the confusion," Ms Agland said.
Member for Calare, Andrew Gee, has long been an advocate for the Voice, an issue which saw him fall out with the National Party.
![Member for Calare, Andrew Gee, was one of the panellists for a discussion on the Voice to Parliament. Picture by Sinéad Fogarty Member for Calare, Andrew Gee, was one of the panellists for a discussion on the Voice to Parliament. Picture by Sinéad Fogarty](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YN4FA67iw2pXwXjwm2vmnJ/4250c544-536b-4d10-ace2-c0ae86bb39dc.jpg/r0_330_4362_2782_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He was one of the panellists at Wednesday night's discussion and told the Central Western Daily after the event that he thought it was a "terrific" turnout and that interest in the referendum was building.
"How could it be in the modern and prosperous Australia of 2023 that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is still so wide in so many ways, such as in life expectancy, suicide rates, infant mortality, and educational outcomes," he said.
"Australia is the lucky country that leads the world in fields like medicine, science and sport.
"And for the lucky country, this gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people cannot be allowed to stand. We need to change it up, and that's what the Voice will do."
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