The referendum on « The Voice of Aboriginal People in Parliament », which took place in Australia on October 14, 2023, had considerable stakes and aimed to change the country in fundamental and permanent ways. Although the « No » vote ultimately won a majority (with approximately 60.1% of the vote nationally and in all six states), the stakes of this proposal explain why its adoption could have changed Australia forever.
The Permanent Issues of « La Voix »
The referendum proposed two changes to the Australian Constitution: the constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia and the establishment of a permanent advisory body that would have the right to make representations to Parliament and the federal government on laws and policies affecting First Nations peoples.
An initiative considered historic
Australia is one of the few colonized countries to have never signed a treaty with its Indigenous peoples. For a long time, the Constitution did not recognize them, and until 1967, they were not even included in censuses.
By enshrining « The Voice » in the Constitution (the country’s founding document), Australia would have permanently corrected this historical omission.
Unlike an ordinary law, which can be repealed by a future government, a constitutional change is protected and can only be reversed by another referendum.
The primary goal of « The Voice » was to improve the living conditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who still suffer from profound social disadvantages, known as the « Gap, » with shorter life expectancy, higher rates of poverty, incarceration, and poor health, as well as disparities in education and employment.
« The Voice » would have enabled Indigenous communities to provide direct and informed advice to Parliament on laws that affect them.
The proponents argued that by giving a voice to those directly affected, public policies would be more relevant, better targeted, and therefore more effective in bridging this gap.
The failure of the referendum, although it ended this constitutional project, had a lasting emotional and political impact.
It highlighted the country’s deep division over the issue of Indigenous recognition and reinforced the sense of alienation among many First Peoples.
The struggle for recognition and improved living conditions in Australia, however, continues in other forms.