Albanese wanted to end two centuries of silence, but we said no – and failed our First Nations people

Anthony Albanese on referendum day. ‘Albanese has suffered many defeats on the way to taking the most powerful office in the land. But this one will hurt.’ Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

There is something wonderful about election days in Australia. Compulsory voting drags us all in to civic participation. This morning, families walked together through my neighbourhood to cast their ballots in the voice referendum, and loitered, chewing the fat around the sausage sizzles and the cake stalls.

But there was also a sense of dread as we crept closer to the close of the polls. Voters understood the stakes. Australia would either write another chapter in the history of reconciliation in this country, or fail a significant empathy test.