On 14 October 2023, Australians will have their say in a referendum about whether to change the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice
On Saturday, 14 October 2023, Australians voted in a referendum about whether to change the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
The referendum was an historic event – it was the first referendum of the 21st century.
The referendum did not pass.
The referendum was about changing the Constitution. The outcome of the vote does not affect the Government’s commitment to reconciliation or the work already underway across governments to create better outcomes for First Nations people.
The Government remains committed to listening and working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities to achieve better outcomes.
The National Agreement on Closing the Gap and other initiatives will continue to ensure practical progress in Indigenous health, education, employment and housing.
Recent stories
25 May 2023
An information campaign has been launched by the Australian Government to help inform Australians about the Voice referendum being held later this year.
The referendum is about whether we should change the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
The campaign encourages Australians to get ready for a conversation about the Voice by visiting voice.gov.au.
4 Apr 2023
The Australian Government is today taking a first legislative step towards the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia’s founding document.