Voting is easy. Just write ‘YES’ or ‘NO’, in full and in English, in the box provided. You can practice voting on the AEC website.

Polling places will be open from 8am to 6pm on Saturday 14th October.

Find your nearest polling place by checking the page on the AEC website. Early voting centres are also available until 6pm on Friday. Please check the opening dates and times.

You’ll get ONE ballot paper with one question. The ballot paper is a yellow-brown colour. Click here for an example of what it looks like.

You are being asked to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on:

“A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”

If the referendum is agreed and the majority of Australians say yes, the Australian Constitution will include a new chapter – Chapter IX: Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to the Constitution – would be added to the Constitution.

The chapter would include a new section 129, which would include the following:

129 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice

In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:

i. there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;

ii. the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

iii. the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.

In order for the referendum to be carried, a double majority must be reached which means:

• A national majority of all formal votes; AND

• A majority of the states (at least four out of the six states)

You can read the AEC referendum factsheet here.

You can find the Referendum 2023 – The Yes/No case pamphlet online here.

Please note: the AEC was not involved in the development of the content in the Yes and No cases. The words in the Yes and No cases are as supplied by the respective parliamentary committees who wrote each case.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice is a way for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to advise the Government about laws and policies that affect them. When we listen to people about the decisions that affect them, we get better results.

The official wording for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice is:

129 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice

In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:

i. there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;

ii. the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

iii. the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.

Australian people come from many lands, practise many faiths and speak many languages. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are the First Peoples of Australia and have lived here for more than 65,000 years. But Australia’s Constitution still doesn’t recognise their unique status.

And the status quo isn’t working. There are real gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in life expectancy, infant mortality, health, housing, education and employment. We have an opportunity to improve this, together.

The Voice is simply about ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a chance to be heard on the matters that relate to them. It ensures that fair and reasonable listening to community occurs before making decisions that impact them.

This referendum is about straightforward ideas and practical solutions:

• Recognising and respecting 65,000 years of Indigenous culture for the first time in Australia’s 122-year-old constitution.
• Listening to a diverse group of Indigenous Australians about the policies and challenges that affect them.
• Protecting the Voice from politics and bureaucrats by putting it in the constitution, giving it the security it needs to provide meaningful and honest advice.

Click here to view the design principles of the Voice to Parliament agreed by the First Nations Referendum Working Group.

There have been some confusing and incorrect messages published about the voice. Set the facts straight with CrossCheck Tipline and myth busting:

• RMIT FactLab’s CrossCheck pre-emptively identifies false claims and debunks them. They have a tipline for the public to report information they have doubts about. Alert CrossCheck to any suspect information you see in social media feeds, are sent in chat apps or receive in letter boxes. Contact their public tipline via email.
• CrossCheck clears up seven common confusions about the Voice to Parliament.

Visit here for more Frequently Asked Questions and answers.

Explore the issue further with these resources to help you educate yourself and others:

• Australian Human Rights Commission Voice Referendum Resource Kit
• Yes23 Campaign
  Compelling Conversation guide
  Guide ‘How to Talk about the Voice to Parliament’
• Yes23 & Uluru Dialogue Voice to Parliament online course
• Australian Progress & Get Up Passing the Message Stick messaging guide