Voice to Parliament Referendum Navigator

The Voice was introduced by the Uluru Statement from the Heart, delivered by 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community leaders in 2017. 

The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation to all Australians to walk together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the process of Voice, Treaty, and Truth-telling.¹ 

The Voice to Parliament would be an independent group of representative Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who give advice to the Australian Parliament on the policies and laws that impact their own communities.⁴ 

The Voice is a form of representation many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have chosen for themselves,⁴ and is a step towards greater The ability for Aboriginal people to freely determine their political status and pursue their economic, social and cultural development.self-determination.  

What would a Voice to Parliament look like? 

Australians are not being asked to vote on the Voice’s design. The design would beOfficially made into law, which can be debated and changed in Parliament.legislated in parliament after the referendum. That’s the usual process when new laws are made. 

And, if the referendum is successful, there’ll be consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the Australian public on what the Voice should look like.⁵ 

The First Nations Referendum Working Group (made up of Indigenous leaders from across the country, and co-chaired by Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney)⁶ have agreed to the design principles for the proposed Voice. This means, if the referendum is successful, we know quite a lot about what the Voice will look like and what it will do.  

Design Principles of the Voice: 

So, we know the Voice will be a body of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who advise the government on issues that affect First Nations communities. And we know this body should be representative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia, including remote, rural, and urban areas. These groups would work together to make sure local communities are heard on issues important to them, and their ideas are communicated to Parliament through the Voice.⁵ 

The Voice design can be changed over time, depending on the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Australians would not have to vote on these changes, because the design of the Voice is not in the constitution.  

 
Read more about the detail of the Voice.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is a trusted source and has set up a page which details referendum misinformation. 

The ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigns have released campaign information promoting their cases. The AEC has released a single official pamphlet containing both cases and the wording of the proposed Constitutional change.

The ‘yes’ case has been written by those in favour of changing the Constitution to establish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

The ‘no’ case has been written by those against changing the Constitution to establish the Voice.⁸

These pamphlets are not fact checked. This means some information may be based on opinion rather than fact.⁹ 

Some arguments might even have disinformation (that’s when the wrong information is shared on purpose to influence people’s opinions).¹⁰ 

Check out the AEC disinformation guide to learn more.

However you choose to vote, the referendum has the power to impact the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their communities.¹¹

Racism is never okay. During this referendum process, watch out for and call out racist or harmful language.  

If you’re non-Indigenous, it’s not your place to tell Aboriginal peoples how to vote, and it’s not the responsibility of individual Aboriginal peoples to educate others.  

In any vote there’ll be debate and different opinions. Educate yourself on what the different arguments are from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trusted sources. 

On the day, you will only need to fill out one ballot paper.  

The ballot paper will have the proposed alteration to the Constitution on it, followed by a question asking if you approve the proposed alteration. 

To indicate your vote, you must clearly write: 

YES in the box if you approve the proposed alteration, OR 

NO in the box if you do not approve the proposed alteration. 

Other marks, like a tick or cross, are considered ‘up to interpretation’ and may not be considered a valid vote. 

If you want to practise before election day, you can use the AEC’s online practise voting tool.

Remember, it’s okay if you make a mistake while filling out your ballot paper – you can simply ask for a new one! 

The AEC are in the process of updating their web tool which allows you to find your nearest early voting centre or polling place.  

You can vote at any polling place in your state or territory on election day – you don’t have to go somewhere in your electorate. 

If you’re travelling in a different state or territory to where you are enrolled, you still need to vote at a voting centre there. 

If you need any help, election officials are available to answer questions about the voting process. They can’t tell you who to vote for. 

• Hand sanitiser will be available at polling places. 
• Physical distancing will be maintained in queues and between voting booths wherever possible. 
• Voters are encouraged to bring and wear a face mask if they have concerns about the spread of COVID-19. 
• Every polling place will have a Hygiene Officer who'll focus on COVID-19 safety measures such as touch point cleaning and regularly sanitising used items such as pencils. 
• There will be clean pencils available, and voters are also able to bring their own pencil or pen. Voters will be asked to deposit their used AEC pencil in the box at the exit of the polling place so that the pencils can be sanitised by the hygiene officer after every use.  
• When taking people's votes in other settings, such as mobile polling at residential aged care facilities, the AEC will be taking additional measures including those required by the facility. 
• There is no requirement that voters must be vaccinated for COVID-19 to cast a vote.  

Voters who become unwell before voting day should consider applying for a postal vote. You can apply to receive a postal vote up until 6pm on the Wednesday before voting day.

If it is too late to apply for a postal vote, consider taking reasonable safety precautions before attending a polling place to vote in person. These can include wearing a mask, bringing your own pencil or pen, physical distancing and limiting the time you spend in a polling place.

Remember to be kind and patient with staff who will be doing their best to keep voting centres both safe and efficient.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) provides assistance to disabled people to make sure voting is accessible. Ahead of the election, the AEC’s official election guide can be provided in braille, audio and large print. The AEC also has a series of Easy English guides. 

See all accessible voting resources and services

A list of voting centre locations will be published once this information is available.  

For reference, each location is given an accessibility ratings for: 

In person voting

• Use the AEC’s Where to Vote tool to find your nearest polling booth.  

Remote voting 

• Remote voting services will be rolled out across Australia from Monday 25 September. Find out more on the AEC website.  

Mobile voting  

• AEC mobile polling teams (mobile as in they move around, not mobile phones) visit many voters who aren’t able to get to a polling place. They usually set up in residential care facilities, prisons and remote areas of Australia during the election period. 

Phone voting  

• If you are blind, have low vision, or are working in Antarctica or on a ship that is in transit to or from the Antarctic, you can cast your vote through the AEC’s phone voting service. 

The registration process for telephone voting will be open from Monday 2 October.