This is a milestone for supporters of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
The Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.
The Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Legislation was passed to enable the referendum
on the Voice to Parliament to be held later this year.
[TV Switching off]
The Australian Indigenous Voice referendum is finally happening. So, let's break down what that means.
When we talk about a referendum, we’re talking about a vote of the Australian people on a
proposed change to the Australian Constitution. The Constitution is the legal framework around
how Australia is governed. But one thing it doesn't mention is First Nations people,
and the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament will change that. See, when the idea for the Voice
was first presented in the Uluru Statement from the heart in 2017, it called for "the
establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution" which would ensure the
Voice has security, legitimacy, and credibility, both because it needs public support to get up,
but also because once it's in there, changing the constitution isn't easy. Before the public
has anything to do with it though, proposals like the Voice have to go on a long, political journey.
It all starts as a bill which is presented to the Australian parliament, and it has to pass through
both the House of Representatives, or the lower house, and the Senate, or the upper house. Then,
between two and six months after the bill's passed parliament, it falls into the hands of the public.
Since the early 1900s Aussies have voted in referendums for all kinds of things from financial
matters to industrial matters, marketing, rent prices, social services, and even elections.
When referendums are presented to the public, historically they haven't been overly successful.
The last referendum was back in 1999, when Aussies were asked to vote on whether they
thought the country should ditch the monarchy and become a republic, which resulted in, yeah well,
we're still part of the monarchy. In fact, of the total 44 referendums proposing changes to
the Constitution, the number of successful changes comes to a staggering eight. But,
of the few times where they have been successful, the 1967 referendum for Indigenous Constitutional
Rights was by far the most successful. The public was asked to vote on whether Indigenous people
should be counted as citizens and given the same rights which 90% of Aussies agreed to.
Now, at this point you might be wondering... [Josh opens the door]
Hang on, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! What about the national vote for
same-sex marriage equality in 2017? Wasn't that a referendum?
In short, no.
That was a plebiscite.
The two are very similar but plebiscites are for questions
that don't require constitutional change, and the outcomes are not legally binding. Instead,
a plebiscite is more like a public opinion gauge for the government to base their decision on.
Back to the voice. We know the Indigenous Voice to Parliament will require constitutional
change and a referendum but what exactly is the voice going to be?
Well, the government say it'll be an independent body, or group of members from across the country
that can advise the parliament and government about matters that affect the lives of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Australians like health, education, economic disadvantage,
and social matters. The Voice bill recently completed its political tour through the
lower and upper houses of parliament, with the Senate voting 52 in support and 19 against.
[clapping] I call the clerk.
[Commentator] To recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing
and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
So, what happens next? The referendum will most likely be put to the Aussie
public sometime between October and December, and the question they'll have to answer is:
“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?"
For the Voice to be enshrined or included, in the constitution though,
more than half of all Australians and more than half of voters in at least four states
must say yes. But while public support for the Voice was quite high in mid last year,
somewhere around 65%, there's been a drop over time, with some polls finding support
is now sitting around that high-40% to mid-50% range overall, and according to a Roy Morgan
survey from May, no state has majority support with Queensland largely opposed to the Voice.
In the meantime, we'll start to hear a lot of people campaigning for both the 'yes'
and the 'no' vote. The government will be sending out pamphlets explaining the referendum written by
politicians on both sides of the argument. The pamphlet will go to households around
Australia and will be translated into 35 different languages and 20 traditional Indigenous languages.
It's important to note that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is campaigning for a 'yes' vote.
This is a historic opportunity to make a difference, and if not now, when?
And if not under my prime ministership, under whose?
And while the Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says he'll be voting no,
there are plenty of people from his party who say they'll be voting yes too.
Whenever the referendum happens, every eligible Australian will have an equal
chance to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in this defining moment in Australian history.