Australians will officially be able to vote on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. A proposal has been approved by the Senate for a referendum– Australia’s first in 24 years– before the end of the year.
The proposed Voice to Parliament would be an independent advisory body that allows First Nations people input into laws and policies that affect them.
The final Senate vote for a referendum on the Voice came down to 52 votes in support and 19 votes against, with Labor and Greens unanimously in support. The Liberal party opposes the Voice but supports holding a referendum so most voted in favour. The Nationals and One Nation voted against the proposal as well as UAP Senator Ralph Babet and Independent (formerly Green) Senator Lidia Thorpe.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is expected to announce a referendum for October. He is required to set a date no sooner than two months and no later than six months now that the Senate has voted after months of parliamentary procedures.
Before the vote, the assistant minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, told the Senate: “First Nations people want this to happen. They’re reaching out to all Australians, to be able to feel proud of this time in our country’s history, where we can lift one another up.”
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, said leading up to the Senate’s vote that a “referendum is about two things: recognition and listening” and that the Australian people now have a chance to make history.
The bill’s passing was met with a standing ovation and applause. Indigenous leaders Tom Calma, Megan Davis and Pat Anderson were among the crowded public galleries.
We are now one step closer towards an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament with the Senate passing the bill to enable a referendum.
A special moment with my colleague @Malarndirri19. https://t.co/E3iuOaf78I— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) June 19, 2023
The Voice to Parliament was first proposed in the Uluru Statement of the Heart, delivered by 250 first nations leaders in 2017.
Earlier this year, the government announced its official proposal to add a Voice to Parliament to the Constitution.
Following the Senate’s passing of the Voice, committees of politicians who voted yes and no in the parliament will be given 28 days to assemble persuasive essays that will be sent to all Australians in an official referendum pamphlet.
To find out more information about the Voice to Parliament, the government has an official website.