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Australians have rejected an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Source: SBS News

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Australia says No to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament — as it happened

A group of Indigenous leaders announced a "week of silence" after the No vote prevailed at the referendum - a result that "doesn't define" Australians, according to Anthony Albanese, while Opposition leader Peter Dutton said the prime minister was to blame for the loss.

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Australians have rejected an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Source: SBS News

Published 14 October 2023 5:06pm
Updated 14 October 2023 10:43pm
Source: SBS News

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14 Oct 2023 9:24pm
Marcia Langton: 'This question was not about race'
Prominent Yes campaigner Marcia Langton has strongly denied claims she called Australians racist, saying the Voice question "was not about race".

Langton, a Yiman and Bidjara woman, and prominent No campaigner Nyunggai Warren Mundine engaged in a heated debate on NITV's The Point program, in which Mundine accused Langton of being "the one who has caused division in this country".

"I'm not going to take any comments from a person who thinks that we are a racist country, and that we are racist people," he said.
READ MORE

Heated Voice moment between Marcia Langton and Warren Mundine

Langton has been accused in media reporting of branding No voters as "racist" or "stupid" - claims she has vehemently denied and has said have been taken out of context.

Speaking on The Point, Langton accused Mundine of "very Trumpian play": "Create racial division, by lying, and then accuse me of being a provocateur".

"It's factual," Mundine interrupted. "It's not a lie."

"You are the one who has caused division in this country. We are about uniting this country and moving forward and fixing the problems we have in Aboriginal communities."

Host Narelda Jacobs then interjected: "We're not going to sit here and take you abusing a national treasure like Marcia Langton, who never said that Australians were racist, and her words were twisted."

"I didn't say that Australians are racist," Langton said. "What I said was that the messaging of the No campaign is based in some racialist assumptions.

"I was asking people to think deeply about the racist underpinnings of the No campaign messaging.

"It's not true that I think Australians are racist. I want to say a big thank you to the 50,000 volunteers who worked hard on the campaign with us to try to achieve a Yes vote for a very simple proposition that would recognise us as the Indigenous peoples of Australia, our ancestors having come 60,000 years ago. It's not about race at all, and that was my message."
One of the most talked-about claims is that the Voice to Parliament would divide Australia by race, or give special rights to one race of people. SBS News
has fact-checked this claim here
.

"This question was not about race. The No campaign have turned it into a racially divisive proposition when it is not at all," Langton said.

Mundine responded: "You cannot say that putting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in a constitution, which all my life and all my parents' life and all my grandparents' life - is that we were Aboriginal, is a race, Torres Strait Islanders are a race. And then to pretend that by putting those things in the constitution is not about putting a race in the constitution."
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14 Oct 2023 10:39pm
That's it for tonight
Thank you for following our live coverage of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.

As Australia processes the the result, these are the five key takeaways from tonight:
  • Australians have comprehensively rejected an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
  • All states and the NT voted No, with only the ACT voting Yes.
  • Indigenous academic Marcia Langton says Reconciliation is "dead", while other Indigenous leaders declare a "week of silence".
  • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urges Australians to come together, saying the result ‘"doesn’t define us".
  • Opposition leader Peter Dutton blames Albanese for "arrogance" in calling the referendum.
14 Oct 2023 10:13pm
Indigenous leaders announce 'week of silence'
A group of Indigenous leaders have declared a "week of silence" after tonight's referendum, saying: "We now know where we stand in this, our own, country".

A statement written by a number of Indigenous leaders, without names being provided, calls for seven days of mourning to grieve the comprehensive No vote and to "reflect on is meaning and outcome".

"Now is not the time to dissect the reasons for [it]," it says.

"Now is the time for silence, to mourn and deeply consider the consequences of this outcome. Much will be asked about the role of racism and prejudice against Indigenous people in this result. The only thing we ask is that each and every Australian who voted in this election reflect hard on this question."

The statement says it was "never in the gift of these newcomers to refuse recognition to the true owners of Australia".

"The referendum was a chance for newcomers to show a long-refused grace and gratitude, and to acknowledge that the brutal dispossession of our people underwrote their every advantage in this country."

They thanked the millions of Australians who voted Yes, and Albanese's government for "having the conviction to take this referendum to the Australian people at our request".

They call for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to be lowered to half mast.

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:59pm
Australians haven't rejected Indigenous people, says Dutton
Peter Dutton says tonight's result proves that Australians "see themselves as equal", and everyone is committed to improving their Indigenous countrymen.

"They haven't rejected Indigenous Australians. They have rejected the Voice and the government's proposal which deliberately wasn't explained to them," he says.

Dutton says the constitution "underpins the success of our country" and Albanese had demonstrated a "real arrogance" in seeking to alter it.

"[He] was warned over the course of the last 16 or 17 months not to proceed with this divisive referendum. And he owes the Australian public an apology for that," he says.

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:56pm
First Nations psychologist: politicians, media must 'be more considerate' of mental health
Gamilaroi man and psychologist Dr. Clinton Schultz has weighed in on First Nations mental health in corporate spaces and the media.

Speaking to NITV's The Point, Schultz said that Australians "really need to reflect on what's happened over the last few months, the entire discourse that's been behind the whole process."

As the director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander strategy for the Black Dog Institute, Schultz campaigned for politicians on both the Yes and No sides of the debate to be "more considerate" of how they undertook dialogue, while also understanding the impact their words can have on First Nations people.

"I think we can do more of that work in the media space as well," Schultz said.

"Whatever conversations we have in this space, moving forward, must be done in a much more respectful way, that actually holds our wellbeing as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at its core, because that's what this is all supposed to be about."

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14, visit
lifeline.org.au
or find an
Aboriginal Medical Service here
. First Nations helpline 13YARN can be reached at 13 92 76, and Aboriginal Counselling Services can be reached at 0410 539 905. Resources for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders can be found at
Headspace: Yarn Safe
.

More information and support with mental health is available at
beyondblue.org.au
and on 1300 22 4636.
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health
supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

- Eleanor Gerrard
14 Oct 2023 9:53pm
Australians have rejected gaslighting, bullying: Price
Opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says it is time for Australians to believe in their country's greatness "once again".

Price - a Warlpiri/Celtic woman - says Australia needs to prioritise "where our most marginalised are" going forward.

She says Australians have rejected the "gaslighting, bullying, and manipulation" of the Yes camp.

"The vast majority of Australians want what's best for each and every of us, including our most marginalised Indigenous Australians. The Australian people have overwhelmingly voted saying No to the referendum," she says.
Peter Dutton and Jacinta Price at a press conference.
Peter Dutton and Jacinta Price address the media during a press conference in Brisbane. Source: AAP / Jono Searle
"They have said No to grievance and the push from activists to suggest that we are a racist country, when we are absolutely not a racist country. We are one of ... the greatest nations on the face of the earth. And it is time for Australians to believe that once again, to be proud to call ourselves Australian."

Price takes particular exception at claims the No camp delved into misinformation.

"It was a campaign of no information whatsoever. And we called out where the Australian people were being misled," she says.

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:45pm
'He held the pen': Peter Dutton lays blame at feet of PM
Opposition leader Peter Dutton is laying the blame squarely at the feet of the prime minister.

Speaking in Brisbane, Dutton urges Australians to accept the result "in this great spirit of our democracy".

"To those of you who voted Yes, let me say these few words. As the leader of the Coalition, who has supported the No campaign, while I disagree with your position, I respect your decision to have voted Yes," he says.

"At all times in this debate, I have levelled my criticism at what I consider to have been a bad idea ... The Coalition, like all Australians, wants to see Indigenous disadvantage addressed. We just disagree on the Voice being the solution."

Dutton accuses Albanese of failing to explain the Voice and says he "must take responsibility for" tonight's result.

"So people from all sides of this debate are rightly and understandably disappointed with the prime minister. He has held the pen of this definitive chapter in our nation's history," he says.

Dutton says he will pursue "practical solutions" to Close the Gap, including a royal commission into child sexual abuse in Indigenous communities and auditing into spending on Indigenous programs "so we can get money to where it's needed".

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:40pm
Watch live: Opposition leader Peter Dutton speaks following 'No' victory
The Opposition leader had been campaigning against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is also speaking.
14 Oct 2023 9:35pm
All states reject the Voice
All Australian states have rejected the Voice, with WA the last result to come in.

That means no individual state has voted for a referendum since 1984.

The NT has also voted No, leaving the ACT as the sole jurisdiction to back the proposal.

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:30pm
'There's a line in the sand', says rapper Adam Briggs
Earlier this evening, Yorta Yorta rapper Adam Briggs said that "whatever happens; there's a line in the sand".

"We’ll remember who stood up and did the most," he posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"There was always going to be work to be done, now we’ll know where to spend our energy."
Briggs appeared in a viral campaign video alongside former Feed comedians Vic and Jenna, which sought to dispel confusion in the lead up to the referendum. The video was an independent production that wasn't funded by the official Yes23 campaign or the government.

You can read more about the video here:
READ MORE

Has your algorithm been 'weaponised'? Comedians Vic and Jenna on that viral Voice video

14 Oct 2023 9:29pm
Albanese avoids talk of republic referendum
Albanese is asked how the result could impact his willingness to pursue future referendums, including on a republic.

"I made it very clear that this was the only referendum that I was proposing in this term," he says.

Both the monarchist and republican campaigns have told SBS News they still expect Labor to pursue a republic in a second term, if reelected at the next election.
READ MORE

Will a Voice No vote set back a republic for a generation?

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:26pm
Albanese criticises scare campaign during Voice debate
Albanese says now is not a time to put the agenda he outlined on the backburner.

"[Our] agenda will be guided by the principles that I put forward consistently: engagement, consultation, listening, progress to Close the Gap," he says.

Albanese appealed to Australians' fairness and compassion during the debate, and insists he still believes they are that.

The prime minister does not answer directly when asked why the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum failed, but notes no referendum has succeeded without bipartisan support.

He also criticises a scare campaign launched during the debate, including
claims the Uluru Statement was a 26-page document
.

"Does anyone in this room think that it was more that it was?" he asks journalists present.

"The Reserve Bank can rest easy now that they won't be getting advice on interest rates before the next meeting. That was one of the things that was discussed [in that campaign]."

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:21pm
Progress not always a 'straight line', says Linda Burney
An emotional Linda Burney says this is not the end of Reconciliation efforts.

"Progress doesn't always move in a straight line. There are breakthroughs and heartbreaks," she said, speaking alongside the prime minister in Canberra.

"But I am confident that, because of this campaign and the millions of conversations it has sparked, the renewed generation of Indigenous leaders will emerge."

Fighting back tears, Burney told her fellow Indigenous Australians her efforts will continue.

"We will carry on, and we will move forward, and we will thrive. This is not the end of reconciliation," she said.

"In the months ahead, I will have more to say about our government's renewed commitment to Closing the Gap."

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:19pm
Reconciliation part of Australia's 'next chapter', says Albanese
Anthony Albanese at a lectern.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivers a statement on the outcome of the Voice Referendum. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
Anthony Albanese insists the Reconciliation process will continue.

"The issues we sought to address have not gone away, and neither have the people of goodwill and good heart who want to address them and address them we will," he says.

"From tomorrow, we will continue to write the next chapter in that great Australian Story, and we will write it together, and reconciliation must be a part of that chapter."

The prime minister praised the "remarkable" Indigenous Australians who had poured their "heart and soul into this cause".

"Not just over the past few weeks and months, but through decades, indeed lifetimes, of advocacy," he says.

"I have been honoured and humbled to stand by you and witness your extraordinary courage and grace, your great love for our country and your deep faith in our people, none less than my friend standing with me here today," referring to Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney.

"You continue to inspire me and make me prouder than ever to be Australian."

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:11pm
Yes campaigners watch Prime Minister Anthony Albanese address the nation
The team at Yes HQ in Sydney watch Anthony Albanese address the nation
The team at Yes HQ in Sydney watch Anthony Albanese address the nation
14 Oct 2023 9:11pm
'This doesn't define us': Albanese urges Australians to come together
Albanese is urging Australians to unite after a bruising campaign, but calling for the plight of Indigenous people to not be forgotten.

The prime miniser acknowledged the result will be "hard to bear" for many Indigenous people, but insists his government will "always be the very best version of ourselves".

"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 says.

"I will always be optimistic for what we can achieve together."

Albanese insisted tonight's result "does not define us, and it will not divide us".

"We are not Yes voters or No voters. We are all Australians," he says.

"And it is as Australians, together, that we must take our country beyond this debate, without forgetting why we had it in the first place.

"Because too often in the life of our nation and in the political conversation, the disadvantage confronting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has been relegated to the margins. This referendum and my government has put it right at the centre."

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:05pm
Anthony Albanese says he accepts the result, that he kept his word
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is speaking at Parliament House in Canberra.

Albanese says he argued for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament "not out of convenient, but conviction", but says he acknowledges and understands that he has "fallen short".

"My fellow Australians, at the outset, I want to say that while tonight's result is not one that I had hoped for, I absolutely respect the decision of the Australian people and the democratic process that has delivered it," he says.

Given a series of global crises, Albanese lauds the fact Australians can make democratic decisions peacefully.

"The Uluru Statement from the Heart was an invitation extended with humility, grace and optimism for the future, tonight we must meet this result with the same grace and humility. And tomorrow we must seek a new way forward with the same optimism," he says.

Albanese says he had "kept his word" in attempting to deliver on the Uluru Statement.

"I never imagined or indeed said that it would be easy. Very few things in public life worth doing are. Nor could I guarantee the referendum would succeed," he says.

"What I could promise was that we would go all in, that we would try, and we have."

- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 9:01pm
Watch live: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks after 'No' victory
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney is speaking too.
14 Oct 2023 9:00pm
GWS Giants' Ali Faraj says 'too little too late' to end misinformation in multicultural communities
FARAJ 2.jpg
GWS Giants' Ali Faraj on The Point: Australia Decides (Source: NITV).
Greater Western Sydney Giants' Community Manager Ali Faraj has told NITV's The Point that the Yes campaign did "too little too late" to stop the spread of misinformation in multicultural communities.

Mr Faraj said that he has heard "a lot of confusion" from his community in Western Sydney regarding the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to parliament.

"The clear message coming from community is 'What are we voting for? What is the change?'"

Mr Faraj blamed the spread of misinformation surrounding topics such as land rights and reparations, as well as "a really good interference campaign" from the No camp, for the polling results in his electorate.

However, he also said that once he spoke to people on the ground and explained what the referendum was about, the majority said that they would be voting yes.

"When I sat down and ... explained the whole concept, 9 out of ten people said 'That's a given, I'm a Yes voter now'," Mr Faraj said.
14 Oct 2023 8:54pm
State-by-state breakdown of what we're seeing
Results from the Australian Electoral Commission's Tally Room show how comprehensive the No camp's win looks.

Nationally, the No vote is leading 57.4 per cent to 42.6 per cent, with 6,680 of 8,253 polling places counted.

The No camp is ahead in every state. These figures are rounded to the nearest percentage.
  • NSW: 58-42 (2645 of 2835 polling places counted)
  • QLD: 65-35 (1230 of 1502 polling places counted)
  • SA: 62-37 (633 of 687 polling places counted)
  • Tas: 60-40 (290 of 306 polling places counted)
  • Vic: 53-47 (1726 of 1886 polling places counted)
The territories are also split, with the NT - home Australia’s highest Indigenous population by proportion - also voting No.
  • NT: 60-40
  • ACT: 37-63
- Finn McHugh
14 Oct 2023 8:44pm
'Today is a bad day for Australia': Alex Greenwich on the referendum result
NSW Independent MP Alex Greenwich speaks to media during a press conference outside NSW Parliament House in Sydney.
Mr Greenwich has urged Australians to reflect and remember how they are feeling following the latest polls from the Voice referendum. Source: AAP / BIANCA DE MARCHI
Yes supporter and prominent LGBTQIA+ activist Alex Greenwich MP has released a strong statement following the latest results from the referendum vote.

"My worst nightmare with the marriage equality campaign was what it would feel like for LGBTQ people if Australia voted no," he said.

"The pain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are feeling can’t be underestimated."

The independent Senator from NSW has asked non-Indigenous Australians to remember if they are currently "sharing in that pain", as "that's how we have made Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel every day."

However, he also offered a message of future hope, asking Australians to "commit ourselves to do better, listen better, and learn better."

"Today is a bad day for Australia, but tomorrow doesn’t have to be," he said.

- Eleanor Gerrard
14 Oct 2023 8:26pm
Queensland has also voted No, 6-0 result looks possible
The No camp has won Queensland, leaving the prospect of a clean sweep of all states very much in play.

It joins NSW, Tasmania, and South Australia in rejecting the Voice.

Polls are still open in WA but in broad terms, that doesn't matter: the Voice has already been defeated.

Victoria remains too close to call.

- Finn McHugh
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