Indigenous Voice to Parliament
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice |
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| Proposed Australian federal Indigenous advisory body to represent Indigenous communities. |
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, also known as the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, the First Nations Voice or simply the Voice, was a proposed Australian federal advisory body to comprise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, intended to represent the views of Indigenous communities. The Voice as proposed by the Albanese government would have had the power to make representations to the Parliament of Australia and executive government on matters relating to Indigenous Australians. The specific form of the Voice was to be determined by legislation passed by Parliament had the referendum succeeded.
A referendum to amend the Australian Constitution to recognise Indigenous Australians in the document by prescribing the Voice was held on 14 October 2023. It was unsuccessful, with a majority of voters both nationwide and in all states voting against the proposal. The idea of such a body came to prominence after being endorsed by Indigenous leaders in the Uluru Statement from the Heart of 2017. While initially rejected by the then Coalition Turnbull government, the subsequent Labor Albanese government endorsed the proposal and promised to hold a referendum on the topic. Both Coalition parties in the federal opposition opposed the Voice however, whether legislatively or constitutionally implemented.
Under the government-endorsed design principles of the First Nations Referendum Working Group (Referendum Working Group or RWG), the membership of the Voice would have been selected by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the country, with an enforced gender balance at the national level. It remains legally possible for the Voice (or alternative proposals) to be introduced by legislation rather than by amendment to the Constitution; however, the current government stated before the referendum they would not legislate a Voice in the event of a No vote and have subsequently stuck to this position.