Accepting Referendum Result, PM Paves Way for Indigenous Recognition: A New Chapter Begins

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to forge a new path forward to narrow the gap in life outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, after voters roundly rejected recognition of First Australians in the constitution with a voice in Parliament.

A majority of voters and all states voted no to amending the constitution in Saturday’s referendum, the first in Australia in more than two decades.

The ACT, which is only included in the popular vote, was the only jurisdiction to vote yes.

“Tonight is not the end of the road and it is certainly not the end of our efforts to bring people together,” Albanese said Saturday evening.

The Voice to Parliament would have been an advisory body without veto power but permanently enshrined in the constitution, meaning that a future government of the time could not abolish it without holding another referendum.

The proposal was first proposed after hundreds of Indigenous Australians, who participated in the Uluru Dialogues, released the Declaration from the Heart six years ago.

This declaration called for a voice enshrined in the Constitution, as well as for truth and a treaty.

Australia’s Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Linda Burney, said the government would announce renewed government commitments in the coming months to reduce the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, which includes life expectancy, l education and rates of suicide and illness.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Indigenous Australian Coalition spokesperson Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who actively campaigned against the referendum, celebrated the result, insisting the vote should never have taken place .

But officials from the Yes campaign gave a scathing assessment of the No campaign.

“It’s very clear that reconciliation is dead,” academic Marcia Langton told SBS.

She predicted it would take at least two decades before Australians would be “able to put their colonial hatred behind them and recognize that we exist”, and accused No campaigners of having “poisoned” Australians against The Voice.

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Thomas Mayo, a leading Yes campaigner, said he was devastated.

“We have seen a disgusting No campaign. One that has been dishonest, that has lied to the Australian people, and I’m sure that will come out in the analysis,” he said.

Some Indigenous leaders from the Yes campaign have called for a week of silence across the country, to mourn and reflect on the referendum result.

On Saturday night, the strongest Yes vote came from the Victorian seat of Melbourne, represented by Greens leader Adam Bandt.

The strongest no vote was from the electorate of Maranoa, Queensland, held by National leader David Littleproud.

The results echo the 1999 Republican referendum, when the ACT was the only jurisdiction to vote yes. Like 24 years ago, wealthier voters were most likely to vote yes.

Mr Albanese said it was his duty to hold the referendum, having promised it before becoming prime minister.

“When you aim high, you sometimes fail,” he said.

But Mr Dutton rejected the claim that the referendum should go ahead.

“While Yes and No voters may have differences of opinion, those differences of opinion do not diminish our love for our country or our esteem for each other,” he said.

“This is the referendum Australia didn’t need.”

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Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer, one of the few Yes campaigners in the federal coalition party room, said it would be “very difficult” for Australia to move forward.

“Some really terrible things have been said and it’s very difficult to undo the damage,” she said.

“In some cases, I don’t know how to proceed.”

Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who left coalition seats to defend the yes vote, said he was optimistic that “the cause of reconciliation will ultimately succeed”.

“To all Indigenous Australians, I say this was a vote on the constitution, it was not a vote on you. It is an undeniable fact that you are the first people of our country and I honors you tonight,” he said.

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Independent senator Lidia Thorpe, a leading No campaigner, said she was not surprised by the referendum result.

She said Australia needed a treaty with First Nations people before the constitution was changed.

Senator Nampijinpa Price said the focus should be on helping the country’s most disadvantaged.

“I realize there is still a lot of work to do so we can be united as a country, because this has been a very difficult and heartbreaking time for many Australians,” she said.

The essentials of the vocal referendum:

Look back at how the referendum results unfolded on our blog
RESULTS: Find out how your region voted