The proposed Indigenous voice to parliament has failed; 55 per cent of all Australians have rejected a proposal to enshrine an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution.According to the AEC, 48 per cent of polling places have been counted nationally, with No leading 55 per cent to 45 per cent.
An inner versus outer city pattern emerged in Melbourne and Sydney. Inner Melbourne and Sydney led in the Yes, while Western Sydney posted a higher No vote. Former Liberal, now Teal seats voted Yes.
ABC election analyst Antony Green said a majority ‘no’ vote in NSW, Tasmania and South Australia was enough to kill off the government’s proposed constitutional change.A referendum requires a majority of votes in a majority of states to succeed.
The ACT has been the only jurisdiction to support the reform.
Still, its tally only goes towards the national vote, not the state-by-state total.’Yes’ campaigner Thomas Mayo said the results had signalled a “sorry day” and blamed the No campaign style. ‘No’ campaigner Warren Mundine said advocates against the proposal had engaged with the community.”I knew that we could win every state,” Mundine said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who pledged the constitutional change in his 2022 post-election speech, said he had done everything possible to ensure a successful referendum.
He said the ‘no’ campaign had “spoken about division while stoking it”.The prime minister is set to address the nation once the final results are known.
About 6.1 million Australians voted early, and 2.1 million eligible voters applied for a postal ballot, with about 9.2 million Australians casting their vote on Saturday.Saturday’s vote was the first referendum held in Australia for 24 years.
