It is notoriously hard to amend the Australian Constitution. Since Federation, only 8 out of 45 proposals for constitutional change have been carried by the Australian people.
In October 2023, Australians resoundingly rejected the Voice to Parliament Referendum. The proposal neither achieved a national majority (39.9% YES | 60.1% NO) nor a majority in any Australian state. The ACT was the only jurisdiction that achieved a majority (61.3% YES | 38.7% NO).
This outcome was consistent with the marked downward trend in polling since the federal election in May 2022. Notably, however, it is inconsistent with polling catchments where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples represent the majority of the population. According to political analyst Simon Jackson, these catchments voted 63% YES on average. How do we non-Indigenous Australians reconcile the referendum outcome with the prominent support in areas like Wadeye (92.1% YES), Maningrida (88% YES), and the Tiwi Islands (84% YES)?
Digging a little deeper, the Australia National University's recent analysis found that:
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'No voters were more likely to be male, older, speaking a language other than English at home, with low levels of education, living outside of capital cities, and living in low-income households'.
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Several attitudinal variables predicted a NO vote, such as trust in social media or religious institutions, dislike of the Prime Minister, and the belief that if First Nations peoples tried harder, they could be just as well-off as non-Indigenous Australians.
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Around 80% of Australians surveyed indicated that the vote did not signal a lack of support for reconciliation, the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples having a say in matters that affect them, truth-telling processes, or pride in First Nations cultures.
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Survey data suggests that Australians voted NO because they didn’t want division, are sceptical of rights for some but not all Australians, and did not think the Voice proposal was the right approach to remedy the disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
While the outcome is clear, what did the Voice Referendum reveal about our democratic institutions and culture?
This Folio Conversation with Mary Crooks and Lauren Crystal will help us unpack the Voice Referendum, drawing on their direct experience in community conversations across the country and personal reflections on the Yes and No campaigns, the referendum outcome, and democracy in Australia.
Whether you voted YES or NO, we invite you to join this important conversation and contribute your perspectives and experiences.
This event is part of a collection of events and curated content on the theme, Democratic Crossroads. It's a huge year for democracy, as most of the global population heads to the polls in 2024. Democracy is widely reported as in decline and under threat on numerous fronts. How should concerned citizens navigate these challenges, and where are the opportunities for democratic renewal and innovation?
Mary Crooks
After an extensive public policy career, Mary became the Executive Director of the Victorian Women’s Trust at the end of 1996. She has designed and led ground-breaking community engagement initiatives, such as the Purple Sage Project and Our Watermark Australia. These early examples of the Trust’s Kitchen Table Conversation model have since become a nationally lauded approach to democratic engagement with the election of numerous independents to the Parliament of Australia.
In June 2012, Mary was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia, for her distinguished services to public policy and advocacy for the advancement of women. In 2016, Mary won the Public Policy category as part of the AFR/Westpac’s 100 Women of Influence for her years of work in shaping public policy in Australia.
Mary gave the 'Women for Yes' address on 13 August 2023 and was Project Director of Together, Yes, a campaign to enable many thousands of Australians from all walks of life to play a positive role in securing a YES vote for the Voice Referendum.
Lauren Crystal
Lauren Crystal is a fourth-generation entrepreneur, from a family of scientists. As Managing Director and Co-Founder of digital & design agency, Your Creative, she leads their multi-disciplinary team to build impact-led brand, strategies and technology. She is also the co-founder of project productivity tool, Hassl.
Lauren was named the 2019 Telstra Business Women’s Victorian Emerging Leader of the Year. She has published in The Age, Women's Agenda, and other publications and technology and entrepreneurship.
In addition to Your Creative's support of the Together, Yes campaign and community group, Shabbat Table Talks, Lauren brings her academic background on misinformation and professional experience on communication design for vulnerable audiences such as providing female health information for refugee women in Australia. This perspective is critical as how we connect, organise and engage with the information ecosystem becomes increasingly digital in the 21st century.
Event Details
We will be serving drinks and nibbles from 6pm onwards with the conversation starting at 6:30pm.
