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"The idea of a Voice came from the people, and it will be decided by the people. Today I announce that referendum day will be the 14th of October."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the date of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum as October 14.
The vote will determine whether the Voice, a body providing advice to government on issues particularly impacting Indigenous people, will be enshrined in the constitution.
The announcement was made in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, with both the yes and no campaign’s viewing South Australia as a key state to win the referendum.
Mr Albanese has compared the upcoming referendum to previous changes to the Australian constitution.
"The great story of our country through the generations is that Australians come together to answer these calls for change. We rise to the moment like the kangaroo and the emu on our coat of arms. They never go backwards. They just go forwards and so do we. When it's done, when we see the joy and the celebration and the difference to people's lives. The only question we will ask ourselves when those changes occur, is why didn't we do it earlier?"
For the referendum to be successful, it will need support from a majority of Australians across the whole country and a majority of voters in at least four states.
Recent polling suggests a shift in support for the voice in South Australia toward the 'yes' vote, and Tasmania leaning towards a 'no' vote.
New South Wales and Victoria are expected to vote 'Yes', while Western Australia and Queensland are leaning towards a 'No' vote.
Co-chair of the Uluru Dialogue, Professor Megan Davis, says First Nations men and women in regional dialogues want recognition to have a more active role in democratic life.
"And our First Nations men and women in the dialogues who live in communities, they choose to stay on country and devote their lives to the service of their people, of their culture, of their communities. They should not have to move to Canberra to have a say in the laws and policies made about their lives. They should not have to be personal friends with bureaucrats or politicians or have ministers on speed dial-in order to influence the way their communities are funded and the way resources are allocated."
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has been campaigning in Canberra, and says the Voice is about creating better outcomes for First Nations people.
"Having their input in policies and programmes that affect them. And also, not only listening, but driving better outcomes. So whether it's health, housing, education, jobs, early childhood education, the fact is that those outcomes at the moment aren't good enough. They're not good enough. When we look at the Closing the Gap Report, they're not good enough for individual communities around Australia. And vote for Yes is about making sure that we're putting in place the structures and the processes that drive better outcomes across the country."
This marks Australia’s first referendum since 1999, when citizens voted against becoming a republic.
Baptist Minister Tim Costello has written an open letter to Church leaders, calling for their support for a Voice.
He draws a parallel with church opposition to Martin Luther King's fight to end racial segregation in the United States in the 1960s.
Mr Costello told SBS he witnesses a similar reluctance from Church leaders in Australia around advocating for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
"He actually says exactly that: why are you clergy who are against segregation criticising me and saying 'be patient' and 'don't push' and 'it's divisive' and 'it's political'. And he says this as a brother in Christ, a fellow minister, when is it a good time to actually step up against inequality? So that's why I quote that letter, that caution was what Martin Luther King had run into with the clergy also."
No Campaign leader Warren Mundine spoke alongside Senator Jacinta Price to respond to the announcement.
Mr Mundine, a former Liberal candidate for the seat of Gilmore and once the national president of Labor, has accused Mr Albanese of causing division.
"This is what this Prime Minister has done. This Prime Minister from day one has attacked people who had a different opinion to him, called them names, and that opened up the floor for the whole division to start with all the horrible racial abuse with all the horrible bigotry that's been going on out there. And it's all Albo. He's the one who started this. He's the one who has bought it out. And if he thinks that the voice is the answer to fixing everything, the magic wand, then he's not answering the real question."
And you can find comprehensive information about the referendum visiting the SBS Voice Referendum portal at
