Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament referendum set for October 14

Australians will decide the fate of a constitutionally enshrined Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament on October 14. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially set the date during a visit to Adelaide, sending the nation to the polls for the first referendum in more than two decades.

"For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, this has been a marathon," he said.

"For all of us, it is now a sprint and across the finish line is a more unified, more reconciled Australia, with greater opportunities for all."

The proposed Voice would have the power to advise the parliament and federal government on matters that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

It will need both a majority of the national vote and a majority the states — a so-called double majority — supporting the referendum for the Voice to be enshrined in the constitution.

"The idea for a Voice came from the people and it will be decided by the people," Mr Albanese said.

"On that day, every Australian will have a once in a generation chance to bring our country together and to change it for the better."

The last time a federal government held a referendum was in 1999 when the republic vote failed. A referendum has not passed in Australia since 1977. 

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) estimates the voter roll is at 97.5 per cent of eligible voters, making the referendum likely to be the biggest electoral event in the nation's history.

Indigenous enrolment has skyrocketed since the end of 2022, up from 84.5 per cent to 94.1 per cent of eligible voters. That increase equates to an extra 60,000 First Nations Australians joining the voter roll. 

Youth enrolment has also hit new heights. But the AEC has repeatedly warned that high enrolment doesn't guarantee high voter turnout. 

Australians will be asked to write either Yes or No on their ballot, inline with previous referendums. 

The prime minister picked Adelaide for the launch because of its historical significance to First Nations advocacy.

The city was where the 1967 referendum, which included Indigenous Australians in census population counts and gave the federal government the power to make special laws for First Nations people, was officially launched 56 years ago. 

The 2023 launch was in front of hundreds of Yes supporters and featured First Nations leaders Tanya Hosch and Megan Davis. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, whose state is already home to its own Voice to Parliament, also addressed the rally.

His state, along with Tasmania, are considered crucial states if the Yes campaign is to win. 

Mr Albanese told the rally the referendum would help right historical wrongs.

"My fellow Australians, what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people want for their children is what you want for yours — staying healthy, doing well at school, finding a job they love, being safe and leading fulfilling lives," Mr Albanese said.

"That's what they are asking you to say yes to at this referendum. The same opportunity for their children to make a good life for themselves.

"In the words of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, 'when we have power over our destiny, our children will flourish'. That's the change that we as Australians can make happen."

The prime minister wrote to Governor-General David Hurley on Monday to recommend the poll be held on October 14.

He also requested a special meeting of the Federal Executive Council on or before September 11 to enable the governor-general to consider the writ for a referendum.

Early voting is expected to open on Monday, October 2, to allow for two weeks of voting ahead of polling day. Australians would also be able to vote by mail, like they would in a federal election. 

No campaign takes aim at PM

Federal Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and former politician Nyunggai Warren Mundine, two of the No campaigns most prominent spokespeople, went to Tasmania to mark the referendum date being set. 

The duo will head to Adelaide to campaign on Thursday.

Senator Nampijinpa Price accused the prime minister of "dividing our country".

"To suggest we have not had a voice is completely and utterly misleading," she told reporters in Hobart.

"We will not allow for the prime minister and this referendum to divide our country along the lines of race within our constitution."

Both campaigns expect NSW and Victoria are likely to vote Yes, with Queensland and Western Australia likely to vote No.

Senator Nampijinpa Price said she was pleased with how polls in South Australia and Tasmania were tracking for the No campaign. 

The question being put to Australians 

"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?"

If passed, the constitution would be amended to include a new chapter, which would be titled "Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples".

The details would be:

In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:

1. There shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;
2. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
3. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.

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