Early results from Australia’s historic referendum to include Indigenous people in the constitution indicate that the idea will be rejected, putting the country’s efforts toward reconciliation with its First Peoples in jeopardy.
Australians were asked to write ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on a ballot paper if they agreed to change the 122-year-old constitution to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and create an Indigenous body called the Voice to Parliament to advise the government on Indigenous issues.
With 11.4% of the votes cast, the “No” campaign led the “Yes” campaign by 55.4% to 44.6%. ABC predicted that New South Wales, which encompasses Sydney and is Australia’s most populous state, would vote “No.”
Counting is underway in three eastern Australian states and the capital region. Voting continues in earlier time zones such as West Australia, Queensland, South Australia, and the Northern Territory.
Academics and human rights campaigners are concerned that a “No” vote may set back reconciliation attempts by years.
Indigenous Australians, who make up 3.8% of the country’s 26 million inhabitants, have lived on the land for about 60,000 years yet are not recognized in the constitution and are the most disadvantaged people in the country by most socioeconomic indicators.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart, a 2017 declaration written by Indigenous leaders that outlined a road map for reconciliation with the rest of Australia, recommended the Voice to Parliament.
Supporters of the plan think that including an Indigenous Voice in the constitution will bring Australia together and usher in a new era with its Indigenous people.
Mixed reactions to Australian constitutional recognition referendum results
Many Indigenous people support the shift, but some argue that it is a distraction from accomplishing practical and constructive results. The measure has been criticized by the political opposition as divisive, ineffective, and slowing government decision-making.
A vote in 1967 to include Indigenous people in the Australian population was a resounding victory, with broad political support. The leaders of the major conservative parties have campaigned for a “No” vote in the 2023 referendum, even though they have not received unanimous political support.
Referendums in Australia are difficult to pass, with only eight of 44 passing since the country’s inception in 1901. Changes to the constitution require a majority of votes both nationally and in at least four of the six states.
This is Australia’s first referendum in nearly a quarter-century, and the first since Australian voters rejected a plan to create a republic in 1999.
Sharon Minniecon was standing outside St John’s Church in Glebe, central Sydney, where Indigenous people had congregated to support one another as polling booths closed on Saturday afternoon. Her call to action was “to exhale – we got to accept what is being voted by the people and just keep moving forward and supporting one another.”
“We are just all sitting together to encourage one another and support one another,” she said.