Discussions about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament have been dominating the news cycle and political discourse across the country all year. Now, it's finally time to cast our votes. October 14, 2023, is the official voting day for the referendum, but we also have the chance to cast our vote earlier, with hundreds of voting centres across the country opening from this week. Australians will have to cast either a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote for – with the result defining our shared history.
If you’re confused about how to vote, what will happen if it goes through, how to vote early, or just what the Voice is, you’re definitely not alone.
Most importantly, you should know this vote is compulsory for every registered voter in Australia.
We've put together a guide on everything you need to know about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, in simple terms.
How do I vote early in the referendum in Melbourne?
If you can't make it to the polling booths on October 14, you can vote at an early voting centre. There are plenty of centres across the country that will be open for the two weeks leading up to the official voting day. Early voting centres in Victoria opened on Monday, October 2.
All you need to do is turn up to one of them and cast your vote, the same as how you would if you were attending on the official voting day.
Where can I find early voting centres in Melbourne?
If you need to visit an early voting centre, no matter where you are in the country, there's a handy voting centre locator tool on the Australian Electoral Commission website. Simply type in your postcode and it will tell you which early voting centres are near you.
Make sure you check the opening days and times for your chosen centre, so you don't turn up and find closed doors.
What is the Voice?
The ‘Voice’ is a proposed change to the Australian constitution. The only way to change the constitution is by a referendum, in which every registered voter submits a vote. The Indigenous Voice to Parliament means that a collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members will form a permanent group, whose main aim is to advise the Australian government on all matters that concern First Nations people across the country. This will exist in Australia’s constitution forever, and won’t be able to be changed by any future governments.
What does having a Voice in parliament actually mean?
This Voice body would be totally independent of both the Australian Parliament and the Executive Government (the Executive are the public service and government ministers who put laws into practice).
‘The Voice’s’ individual community members would give independent advice to the parliament. This means that could go to the government about an issue that they reckon needs attention before the government gets to it. They would have their own resources to research First Nations issues that need solving. Plus, the government would be able to go to ‘The Voice’ body and ask them for advice before they make relevant policies or laws.
The Voice wouldn’t be able to distribute funding. It wouldn’t manage services. It couldn’t mediate conflicts between opposing Aboriginal and Torres Strait organisations. It wouldn’t have unlimited power.
What will the Voice do in Australia if it gets through?
The purpose of the Voice is to ensure that all decisions made in parliament about First Nations people better consider First Nations people now and for the future. It will focus largely on issues surrounding Aboriginal health, inequality, housing, education and jobs.
“It’s about drawing a line on the poor outcomes from the long legacy of failed programs and broken policies, and listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” said Linda Burney, minister for Indigenous Affairs.
“Things like incarceration and child removal. Housing, health and educational outcomes. This voice is about making sure that what happens in the federal parliament is going to be a positive step forward both in terms of us as a nation, but also the life outcomes for First Nations people in Australia”.
How did the idea for forming the Voice come about?
The idea for the formation of the Voice arose out of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, a 2017 petition by Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders. The Uluru Statement from the Heart called for a First Nations Voice to be enshrined in the Constitution. The Statement represented diverse First Nations views from across Australia.
How do I vote for or against the Voice?
Just like in a normal election, you have to go to a polling booth location in your local area on Saturday, October 14, 2023. The polling areas will be open from 8am to 6pm. You might even be able to get a democracy sausage.
If you can’t make it on October 14, you can vote a) through the post, or b) at an early voting centre. This is how you can vote by post in the Voice referendum. And this is what you do if you’re overseas.
To help you figure out how to vote, you can dive deeper into the intricacies of the campaign with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC's) pamphlet that explains both the YES and NO arguments. Bear in mind that the two arguments in this pamphlet have been written by politicians from both sides, and haven’t been fact-checked by the AEC.
As with all things, it's best to do your own research, or chat to Indigenous folks in your local community to ask for their insights.