Australia has voted 'No' in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum

The Voice to Parliament proposal has been defeated in Australia's first referendum in more than two decades.

Ballot papers are seen at a counting centre in Melbourne, Saturday, October 14, 2023. Australians will vote in a referendum on October 14 on whether to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the country's constitution. (AAP Image/Con Chronis) NO ARCHIVING Source: AAP / CON CHRONIS/AAPIMAGE

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.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton called on the country to unite, labelling the referendum as an exercise that Australia "did not need to have".

"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

Some Indigenous Australians are taking a "week of silence" following the outcome of the vote, while others are already looking towards what happens next.

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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