KEY POINTS:
- Anthony Albanese has unveiled the wording of the Voice referendum.
- Australians will head to the polls in October.
- Mr Albanese has revealed fresh details on how the body would function.
Australians will vote in a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and enshrine an Indigenous Voice in the constitution.
The Senate passed laws - 52 votes to 19 - on Monday to enable the referendum following a fiery last debate in the upper house.
It is the first referendum in almost a quarter of a century and, if successful, it will be the first time Australians have voted to alter the constitution since 1977.
In March, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled the question to be printed on the ballot:
A proposed law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this alteration?
What would the Voice look like?
The Voice would be a body advising the government on issues particularly impacting First Nations Australians. It would not have the power to veto laws.
Many details on how the body would function would be worked through after the referendum, but:
- Members would have fixed-term dates to "ensure accountability"
- It would be gender balanced and include youth members
- It would draw on representatives from all states and territories
- It would include representatives from specific remote communities
But we still don't know whether members would be democratically-elected or appointed.
The question is slightly different to the draft wording Mr Albanese unveiled at the Garma festival last year. Source: AAP / Aaaron Bunch / AAP Image
What needs to happen for it to pass?
The legislation to enable the bill passed parliament on 19 June, meaning the referendum itself is the only remaining hurdle.
Australian adults be required to vote Yes or No on the question Mr Albanese outlined in March.
A majority of voters, and a majority of voters in most states, are needed to make the Voice a reality.
If that threshold is met, Mr Albanese says a process with Indigenous communities and the broader public will start to "settle the Voice design".
Once that happens, it would be taken to parliament, like any other law, for debate and a review.
