The referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament has failed

Australia has voted against an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

VOICE REFERENDUM COUNTING

Australia has voted against enshrining an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, with the results being called early. Source: AAP / Con Chronis/AAP Image

The referendum to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament has failed.

South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania have voted no, with the ACT being the only yes at this stage.

The news comes as polls have closed across the country.
The ACT had 45,420 voters write yes, amounting to 64.7 per cent. Only 35.3 per cent of the territory voted no.

New South Wales results were called around 7pm AEDT, with the state voting no.

The state recorded 43.5 per cent of votes for yes, but 56.5 per cent voted no.

Almost 58 per cent of Tasmanians voted no, and 62.1 per cent of South Australia voted no.

Despite other states needing to be counted, the result has been determined.

The Voice has not secured enough support from enough states and will not be established.
Members of the public vote in the Voice referendum
Members of the public vote at Bellevue Hall voting centre in Midland, Perth. Source: AAP / Richard Wainwright

Thorpe 'not surprised'

Speaking on ABC's The Voice referendum coverage, Senator Lidia Thorpe has said she's "not surprised" by the results.

"Given the country hasn't been taken on a journey and the referendum ultimately was a bad idea in the first place," she said.

"I'm not surprised that we've got No votes coming out strongly because people don't either know what it is about or that in terms of the Blak Sovereign Movement, we don't want to go into the constitution.

"I think we have been loud and clear about that and we have certainly got a lot of support."
Senator Lidia Thorpe casting her vote in a ballot box
Senator Lidia Thorpe casts her vote at the voting centre at Reservoir in Melbourne. Source: AAP / Con Chronis

The Voice abandoned

The opportunity for a Voice to Parliament dies with the referendum, with the Prime Minister earlier this week clarifying his government will respect the results.

Asked on Sunday if the government would "walk away from the Voice altogether" if the referendum failed, Albanese said "correct".

"We will continue to do what we can to listen to Indigenous Australians. We try that now. But Indigenous Australians are saying that they want it to be enshrined," he said.
He said he'd respect the 'no' outcome and not attempt to legislate the Voice.

"If Australians vote no, I don't believe that it would be appropriate to then go and say 'Oh well, you've had your say, but we're going to legislate anyway'," he said.

The proposal to enshrine a Voice to Parliament began with the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which Albanese committed to “in full” in his election victory speech last year.

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3 min read
Published 14 October 2023 7:54pm
Updated 16 October 2023 9:48am
By Rachael Knowles
Source: NITV


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