The Rejection of the Voice for Aboriginal People in Australia – A Postmortem of Causes of Failure

On 14 October 2023, the Australian electorate rejected by an overwhelming majority a proposal for a constitutionally guaranteed advisory body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. This was the fourth attempt in Australia to create an advisory voice for Aboriginal people, but the first time it was attempted via a constitutional amendment involving a public vote. The rejection is continuing to reverberate through Australian society. To many Aboriginal people this was not only a rejection of a technical proposal, but a rejection of their aspirations of self-determination. This article reflects on some of the root causes why in the view of the author, the referendum failed. The article is critical of the lack of information about the composition and functions of the proposed Voice as well as the inconsistencies between various reports and public documents. These contributed to public scepticism and rejection of the proposal.