EXPLAINER
News|Indigenous Rights
Australia’s Indigenous ‘Voice’ referendum: What you need to know
Voting, which is compulsory, has been set for October 14.
Support for the 'yes' vote has been slipping since the referendum was first announced [William West/AFP]
Published On 30 Aug 202330 Aug 2023
Australians will vote on October 14 in a referendum that would enshrine in the nation’s constitution a mechanism for Indigenous people to advise parliament on policies that affect their lives.
Supporters say embedding what is known as the ‘Voice to Parliament’ in the constitution would recognise Indigenous people’s special place in Australian history while giving them input into government policies.
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Opponents argue it would divide Australians along racial lines without reducing the severe inequalities faced by Indigenous people.
Here are some of the key issues behind the referendum, the first in a generation.
Who are Australia’s Indigenous people?
Australia’s Indigenous people include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and they are culturally distinct from each other.
Indigenous people had lived in Australia for at least 60,000 years before the British arrived in 1788. The settlers established a colony in a land they declared “empty”, dispossessing the Indigenous people of their land, killing thousands and exposing them to new and deadly diseases.
Now numbering more than 800,000 people, and making up about 3.8 percent of the population in 2021, Indigenous people are the most disadvantaged group in the country.
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