On Saturday, 14th October, Australia voted to reject the proposal to recognise Indigenous people in the constitution. The development is seen as a major setback to the country’s efforts to reunite with its First Peoples.
The referendum is centred around the acknowledgement of indigenous Australians within the nation’s Constitution and the establishment of an indigenous advisory body known as the “Voice to Parliament” to provide guidance to lawmakers on issues affecting their well-being. The existing 122-year-old Constitution of Australia does not include any reference to the Aboriginal people.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the states of New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, and South Australia have rejected the amendment which would have established an Indigenous committee to advise Parliament and the government on issues affecting the Indigenous people— Australia’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority.
Meanwhile, the latest reports say that all six states have rejected the Indigenous referendum. The only region expected to vote Yes on the reform is Australia’s Capital Territory, which includes the capital Canberra. Territories, on the other hand, are not state votes and solely count towards the national vote.
To get approved, the referendum required the vote of at least four of the six states, as well as a national majority. According to reports, advocates of constitutional change conceded defeat within minutes of the projection.
The voters were asked one question for the referendum to which they had to answer in “yes” or “no”. 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?”
Following the referendum’s defeat, the Australian Prime Minister addressed the nation and said that regardless of the win or defeat, he had given his word to the Indigenous Australians to hold a referendum.
“My fellow Australians, at the outset, I want to say that while tonight’s result is not one that I had hoped for, I absolutely respect the decision of the Australian people. And I say to the millions of Australians, all over our great country that voted yes with hope and goodwill and it will not divide us,” a visibly disheartened prime minister said.
“We are not yes voters or no voters. We are all Australian. We must take our country beyond this debate, without forgetting while we had it in the first place,” PM Albanese continued.
The Australian Prime Minister also mentioned the 2017 Uluru Statement, a document that stated the decision to have a referendum on creating an Indigenous Voice advisory body to Parliament, as he urged the pro-referendum people to accept the results with grace and humility.
“Just as the Uluru Statement from the Heart was an invitation extended with humility, grace and optimism for the future, tonight we must meet this result with the same grace and humility. And tomorrow we must seek a new way forward with the same optimism.”
Taking to X, Prime Minister Albanese posted, “Together we must take our country beyond this debate – without forgetting why we had it in the first place. Because a great nation like ours can and must do better for the First Australians. Our government will continue to listen to people and to communities.”
Together we must take our country beyond this debate – without forgetting why we had it in the first place. Because a great nation like ours can and must do better for the First Australians.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 14, 2023
Our government will continue to listen to people and to communities. pic.twitter.com/3IMTkkTlG1
One of the Voice advocates Tanya Hosch, who spent a decade developing the model said, “On a personal level, I feel devastated. here’s going to be a lot of pain and hurt and dismay and we’re going to need to take a moment to absorb that message and what it says.”
Another Voice advocate while expressing his disappointment over the voting results blamed the alleged “unfair attacks on the campaign” for its failure.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Peter Dutton said that any proposal which divided Australians into distinct categories would be rejected by the people.
“One of the great attributes of the Australian public is that we all see ourselves as equal. It doesn’t matter if you came six months ago, or 60 years ago, or have 65,000 years of ancestry in this country. Australians are all equal. I think the Australian public rejected the proposition to divide us on the basis of ancestry or race and that is a great thing for our country. We shouldn’t shy away from that. Our nation’s rulebook is incredibly important. It underpins the success of our country.”
The Indigenous/Aboriginal people of Australia and The Voice
The term ‘aboriginal‘ refers to Australia’s original inhabitants, who lived on the Australian mainland and nearby islands for many thousands of years prior to the arrival of the first Europeans in the early 17th century.
Ironically, the 122-year-old Australian Constitution makes no mention of Aboriginals. Aboriginal people account for around 3.2% of Australia’s population and consistently perform below national averages on most socioeconomic measures. According to the Australian government, indigenous Australians have an 8-year lower life expectancy than non-Indigenous Australians. Increased disease and infant mortality. Suicide rates are twice as high among Indigenous Australians as among non-Indigenous Australians.
Supporters of the Voice proposal opined that incorporating an Indigenous advisory body into the constitution would assist in addressing some of the issues they experience, such as lower life expectancy and a considerably higher incarceration rate.
The main opposition to the proposal has stated that the Voice would be divisive and that its powers are not well defined. Meanwhile, some Indigenous opponents say that the proposal is unsatisfactory and have called for a treaty instead.
