Australians reject an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, 2023
A referendum defeated nationally and in every state
Quick facts
- Date
- 14 October 2023
- National result
- 60.06% No, 39.94% Yes
- States with a Yes majority
- none
- Turnout
- 89.95%
What happened
On 14 October 2023, Australians voted on a constitutional amendment to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, a body empowered to make representations to the federal Parliament and executive government on matters affecting Indigenous Australians. The proposal was defeated nationally, with 60.06 percent voting No against 39.94 percent voting Yes, and it failed to win a majority in any of the six states, falling well short of the double majority the Constitution requires for amendment. Turnout reached 89.95 percent of the enrolled electorate. Areas with large Indigenous populations voted strongly in favour, with communities including Wadeye, the Tiwi Islands, and Maningrida all recording large Yes majorities, even as the national result went the other way.
Why it matters
The result left Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples formally unrecognised in the Australian Constitution, a status unchanged since Federation in 1901, and prominent Indigenous advocates including Marcia Langton described the outcome as a serious setback for the reconciliation process that had gathered momentum since the 1967 referendum and the 1992 Mabo decision.
How we know
The Australian Electoral Commission's official Tally Room published the certified national vote counts, percentages, and turnout figures for the referendum.
Sources
- Australian Electoral Commission. National results - AEC Tally Room · Primary source (author-declared)results.aec.gov.au · Cited as a "primary" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- Australian Electoral Commission. National results - AEC Tally Room · Primary source (author-declared)results.aec.gov.au · Cited as a "primary" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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