Despite early support, Australians voted 'No' to First Nations' Voice in constitution
By Abby Vela
On Oct. 14, Australia held a nationwide referendum on whether to amend the constitution to include the Voice, an advisory board made up of aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The referendum needed to receive the majority vote at a national level, as well as in at least four states to pass. Neither of these happened, with the “Yes” vote only gaining 39.3% of total votes and none of the states gaining a majority.
What is Voice and why is it significant?
The aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice were part of a proposed amendment to the Australian Constitution. Functioning as an advisory board, the Voice would have represented the aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Parliament. The Voice wouldn’t have had voting power, but it would have had the ability to weigh in on policies that affect their peoples.
The idea for the Voice can be traced back to Australia’s 2017 National Constitutional Convention, where over 250 aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders met to create the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The statement called for recognition of First Nations peoples in the constitution.
“We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country," said the Uluru Statement from the Heart." We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.”
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Since the colonization of Australia by European settlers, the Indigenous peoples of Australia have faced massive inequities and discrimination.
While they make up just 3.8% of Australia’s population, 21% of aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face unemployment, and they make up 27% of people who are incarcerated.
The aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples sought to create the Voice through referendum rather than legislation because unlike legislation, which can be overturned and changed by Parliament, changes made through referendums can’t be altered or removed without the passage of another referendum.
What do Australians think of the Voice?
Despite early investment, recent polls showed that public support for the Voice has declined significantly.
Polling conducted in the second half of 2022 showed support at about 65%, which held steady from August to December. Since then, there has been a consistent and significant decline in support. On Oct. 12, a poll by YouGov found support for the Voice slightly exceeded 40%.
FairAustralia, an anti-Voice organization funded and powered by Advance Australia – a conservative organization that also funds campaigns against the inclusion of trans women in sports and the teaching of racism in schools – turned to tactics like targeted-ad campaigns, aggressive phone banking, and TikTok algorithms to convince Australians to vote “No” last weekend.
In September, tens of thousands of Australians gathered with signs and shirts to march in support of the referendum. Linda Burney, the minister for Indigenous Australians, told a crowd in Melbourne that “for 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been speaking 363 languages, but no voice … you have the power to do something about it.”
What's next?
Indigenous Voice supporters have called for a week of reflection and silence after the failed referendum.
"Now is not the time to dissect the reasons for this tragic outcome,” a statement distributed Saturday night after the vote said. "Now is the time for silence, to mourn and deeply consider the consequence of this outcome."
