On October 14, 2023, Australians voted in a referendum to determine whether Indigenous people would be recognized in the country’s constitution through a new parliamentary body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
The exact wording of the question was: “A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”.
Voting was compulsory, and more than 2.2 million people had already voted in early polling according to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). If the ‘Yes’ campaign was to win, they needed to secure a double majority, meaning over half of the national vote as well as a majority in at least four of the six states. However, polls consistently placed the ‘No’ vote ahead.
On October 14, early results from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) suggested that most of the country’s 17.6 million registered voters had written ‘No’ on their ballots, and several news outlets projected no path forward for the ‘Yes’ campaign.
The final results showed that Australians had voted ‘No’ in the referendum, with the majority rejecting the creation of an advocate for the Indigenous population. Referendums have a record of failure in Australia, with only eight succeeding from 44 votes since federation in 1901. Some experts say that the No outcome could deter future leaders from holding referendums, as it could indicate that the bar for constitutional change is too high.
Here is a summary of what you need to know about the referendum results in Australia:
What was the referendum about?
The referendum was about whether to alter the Constitution to recognize the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
What was the exact wording of the question?
“A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”
What was the outcome of the referendum?
Australians voted ‘No’ in the referendum, with the majority rejecting the creation of an advocate for the Indigenous population.
What were the implications of the outcome?
The failure of the referendum has left some from the Indigenous community feeling dismayed, and some experts say that the No outcome could deter future leaders from holding referendums.
How did the voting work?
Voting was compulsory, and Australians were asked to vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to one single question at the ballot box. If the ‘Yes’ campaign was to win, they needed to secure a double majority, meaning over half of the national vote as well as a majority in at least four of the six states.
When were the results known?
The first results arrived shortly after 6pm on the east coast, and the final results showed that Australians had voted ‘No’ in the referendum.
