Key Points
- The Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum has resulted in a resounding 'No' vote.
- Six states and the Northern territory recorded a 'No' vote, while the ACT voted 'Yes'.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged Australians to come together.
Australians have rejected a proposal to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the Constitution.
A 'No' vote was recorded in all six states and the Northern Territory during the historic referendum on Saturday.
The 'No' vote is also leading in the overall national count.
The ACT was the only jurisdiction to record a 'Yes' vote.
A disappointed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insisted that the result "does not define us, and it will not divide us".
"It's now up to all of us to come together and find a different way to the same reconciled destination. I am optimistic that we can, and indeed that we must," he said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivers a statement on the outcome of the Voice Referendum at Parliament House.
"The proposal and the process should have been designed to unite Australians, not to divide us," he said.
"What we’ve seen tonight [Saturday] is Australians literally in their millions reject the prime minister’s defensive referendum."
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Senator Jacinta Price address the media following the referendum. Source: AAP / JONO SEARLE/AAPIMAGE
Indigenous Australians Minister and 'Yes' advocate Linda Burney said she was confident that "because of this campaign and the millions of conversations it has sparked, the renewed generation of Indigenous leaders will emerge".
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