Anthony Albanese could have won the Voice referendum with three simple words. But – somehow – the PM and his Yes campaign couldn’t find them, writes LEVI PARSONS

Anthony Albanese will be wondering this morning – where did it go so wrong?

How did the Yes campaign lose a referendum it seemed certain it would win only a few months ago?

The Prime Minister took a chance on a bold plan to change the Constitution and hopefully improve the lives of Indigenous Australians – but it failed miserably.

The Yes campaign lost every state last night. Even Victoria.

Scholars, political analysts and your average pub visitor will debate how and why it went so wrong for decades to come.

But in the eyes of most people there were two main issues that killed the Voice in Parliament.

There were no real details on how it would work.

Plus, a large – and vocal – number of Aboriginal people from Senator Jacinta Price to elders in remote communities strongly opposed it.

Confused Yes campaigners scrambled to find answers to these critical sticking points and it showed in polls leading up to the vote.

But there was one thing they could have done that might have changed the debate.

Something so obvious and painfully simple that it beggars belief why it wasn’t part of the strategy.

A supporter reacts in the Inner West for the official Yes2023 referendum function at Wests Ashfield Leagues Club on October 14

Yes, volunteers are seen hugging as the results are revealed

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with his partner Jodie Haydon wave goodbye after meeting Yes voters and activists during a visit to a polling booth in Dapto, Wollongong, Australia, October 14, 2023

The “Yes” campaign needed an easy-to-understand three-word slogan for Albo to repeat over and over.

Something that would put an end to fighting the No camp is very effective: ‘If you don’t know, vote No’.

Political slogans done right can be extremely persuasive because they get to the heart of a complicated issue for ordinary voters and play on simplicity and emotion.

Barack Obama adopted the rallying cry ‘Yes we can’ and inspired a nation.

UK Brexiteers compete with ‘Take Back Control’. Everyone knew where Tony Abbott stood – he was going to ‘Stop the Boats’.

And Donald Trump redefined Ronald Reagan’s four words “Make America Great Again.” They all won.

Because there were so many unanswered questions about how Voice for Parliament would work and whether an extra layer of bureaucracy would actually solve crippling inequality, the Yes campaign desperately tried to sway voters with emotion.

It was a tried and true political tactic, but without a central rallying cry, it proved completely ineffective.

Voters struggled with the lack of detail about Voice for Parliament and the fact that large numbers of Aboriginal people – from senators to elders in remote communities – strongly opposed it. Pictured: Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese comforts Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney after giving a statement on the result of the Voice Referendum at Parliament House in Canberra, Saturday, October 14, 2023

The closest the campaign came to a slogan was the TV ad titled “It’s Making It Possible.”

It came late in the game.

While not a bad line, it wasn’t repeated enough by Yes advocates to stick in voters’ minds.

He did not take out the tongue of a politician as others who have shaped history have.

On the contrary, ‘If you don’t know, vote No’ resonated deeply with confused and undecided voters – and no advocate repeated it to the end.

It was a brilliant strategy and likely made the difference.