The Voice to Parliament would have been an Indigenous advisory body that could weigh in on laws affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. Roughly six in 10 voters voted against the proposal.
The "Yes" camp is lagging behind in opinion pollsImage: Sydney Low/ZUMA/picture alliance
With almost 70% of the vote counted, the "No" vote accounted for 60% of votes counted, while "Yes" accounted for 40%, roughly in line with polls just before the vote.
The "Yes" campaign had conceded defeat almost immediately after the first exit polls showed a clear trend towards a fairly comfortable win for the other side.
Australians reject Indigenous Voice to advise parliament
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Albanese says 'not the end of our efforts'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who had campaigned for a "Yes" vote in a campaign that revealed fault lines in Australian society on the issue, urged a divided nation to now come together in a "spirit of unity and healing." He said defeat would be "very hard to bear" for the vast majority of Aboriginal Australians who had supported the motion.
"Tonight is the not the end of the road and is certainly not the end of our efforts to bring people together," Albanese said in a televised news address.
"From tomorrow we will continue to write the next chapter in that great Australian story. And we'll write it together. And reconciliation must be a part of that chapter," Albanese added.
Opponents said the proposal, which included the creation of an Indigenous body to advise the government, would divide Australians along racial lines without reducing Indigenous disadvantages.
"The prime minister was warned over the course of the last 16 or 17 months not to proceed with the divisive referendum and he owes the Australian public an apology for that," opposition center-right Liberal Party leader Petter Dutton said.
What to know about the Voice referendum
Polls closed on Saturday evening across the country.
By the end of the referendum, almost 18 million people were expected to have cast their ballots as voting is compulsory in Australia.
The referendum asked them to vote "Yes" or "No" on whether to establish a new Indigenous advisory body — known as the Voice to Parliament — that would be consulted about laws affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Referendums are difficult to pass in Australia as they require a majority of voters, as well as a majority of states, to succeed — although ultimately Saturday's results looked set to be less closely contested than expected earlier in the campaign.
Voice to Parliament's critics pointed to unclear definition, powers
Indigenous people account for 3.8% of Australia's population.
Supporters of the Voice proposal believe enshrining an Indigenous advisory body in the constitution would help address some of the problems they face, including a lower life expectancy and a far higher incarceration rate.
The main campaign against the proposal has argued that the Voice would be divisive and that its powers have not been clearly defined.
Meanwhile, some Indigenous opponents argue that the proposal does not go far enough, and have demanded a treaty instead.
Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for at least 65,000 years and are considered one of the oldest living cultures in the world.
Will Australia's Indigenous get their 'Voice'?
Early voting has begun in some parts of Australia in a referendum that would create an advocacy body for the country's Indigenous people, giving them more say in political and social decisions. But opinions are divided.
Image: JAIMI JOY/Reuters
'Is the government going to listen to me?'
Tarna Andrews, an Indigenous teacher and former school principal, has lived in the Northern Territory Outback settlement of Areyonga for 38 years. In just over a week, Australians will vote on whether to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution. "If I vote, is the government going to listen to me?" asked Andrews in September, speaking with Reuters.
Image: JAIMI JOY/Reuters
Living in poverty
The Indigenous population lives widely dispersed around the central city of Alice Springs. Many in the Indigenous community cannot read, and opportunities to further their education are scarce. People complain that there aren't enough jobs, health care is inadequate and internet service unreliable. Many live in poverty and have a lower life expectancy.
Image: JAIMI JOY/Reuters
Will a 'Yes' vote bring change?
The October 14 referendum will ask Australians whether they support a constitutional amendment that would provide the Indigenous population with more say on matters that affect their lives. A new institution, the so-called Indigenous Voice, would give nonbinding advice to legislators on matters concerning the continent's first inhabitants.
Image: JAIMI JOY/Reuters
Questions about questions
Retiree Patrick Oliver, who shares a house with 15 relatives, is skeptical. The 70-year-old heard about the concept only two months ago, he said, and wants to know how it might help his community of about 600 residents in Hermannsburg. He wonders about Indigenous rights to land ownership.
Image: JAIMI JOY/Reuters
Young people in search of a future
Alice Springs was in the news last year after crime rates skyrocketed and some residents blamed Aboriginal teens for property damage and assaults fueled by drugs and alcohol. In response, authorities reinstated alcohol restrictions. However, jobs for the city's youth remain scarce.
Image: JAIMI JOY/Reuters
No official treaty
Unlike Canada, the United States and neighboring New Zealand, Australia has no treaty with its Indigenous peoples, who make up about 3.8% of the population. Under government policies, they suffered dispossession of their homelands well into the 20th century. That discrimination continues today, with many experiencing high incarceration rates and poor educational outcomes.
Image: JAIMI JOY/Reuters
A 'very modest request'
The government has said the Indigenous Voice would help address these and other issues by consulting with communities to find solutions. Speaking in favor this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it a "very modest request." During nationwide "Yes" rallies on September 17, several hundred mostly white supporters came out in Alice Springs. The "No" campaign had no visible presence.
Image: JAIMI JOY/Reuters
Still undecided
Polls, however, have shown that the majority of voters plan to vote "No." Kathy Coulthard, an Aboriginal artist in Alice Springs, is still undecided but is "leaning more towards 'No.'" She said the Voice would lead to "European and Indigenous Australians fighting against each other to get their say."
