Indigenous Voice to Parliament: Lidia Thorpe slams Voice to Parliament referendum as ‘waste of money’
Senator Lidia Thorpe has slammed the Voice to Parliament referendum as a huge “waste of money”.
Today, millions of Australians headed to the polls to decide whether an Indigenous Voice to Parliament will be enshrined in the constitution.
And they have voted against the change.
Australians were asked to vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the following question: “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?”
People from both sides of the debate campaigned for months. Check out news.com.au’s live blog for all the results.
We will be updating this blog throughout the evening to bring you the latest developments.
Australia’s big ‘waste of money’ exposed
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has denounced the decision to hold the referendum as a “waste of money” and a bad idea, claiming people are “literally killing themselves” because of it.
It’s estimated the referendum will cost $450 million.
Senator Thorpe has consistently argued that a treaty and truth-telling must come before any change to the Constitution.
“Our people are hurting already. That’s why we didn’t need this referendum,” she told ABC TV during the coverage tonight.
“We need a truth telling. We need a truth and justice commission like they have in South Africa. We need to heal and unite this country, not (have) a referendum of yes or no. It needs to be through truth-telling and healing, and I think tomorrow, that’s where we need to begin to heal.”
Senator Thorpe said the country had not been taken on a journey.
“So I’m not surprised that we’ve got ‘No’ votes coming out strongly, because people don’t either know what it’s about or that, in terms of the black sovereign movement; we don’t want to go into the Constitution,” she said.
“And I think you know, we’ve been loud and clear about that.
“And its grassroots activists who have resisted colonisation for over 200 years. We’ve never changed our position.
“I said it was a waste of money. And I also said it would divide our people. So here we are, down the track, 12 months later and you know, wasted money and no result – and (there’s) basically no justice either way.
“The Constitution should not have happened without a treaty with first peoples in this country. This is not our Constitution. This was developed in 1901 by a bunch of old white fellas who had no regard for black fellas.”
Indigenous ‘period of mourning’ expected
Indigenous leaders are expected to announce a period of mourning later tonight.
Sky News presenter Laura Jayes posted on X that “prominent Indigenous leaders see this as a huge rejection. They see no hope for reconciliation”.
She said meetings were being held now as to the next steps and there was likely to be a “period of mourning” from tomorrow.
Abbott says ‘No’ vote is not a rejection of Indigenous Australians
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has declared that this was a “referendum Australia never should have had” as he insisted that it was not a rejection of support for Indigenous Australians.
The former Liberal leader said that Australian voters had made the right decision and had rejected “separatism.”
“It was always a terrible mistake,” he told Sky News. “This is the referendum that Australia should never have had.
“And what’s happened tonight is that the Australian people have voted for equality, and against separatism.”
Mr Abbott said that voters overwhelmingly supported constitutional recognition but not the proposal for the Voice, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described as a “non-binding advisory body”.
“This wasn’t a referendum about recognition,’’ Mr Abbott said.
“It was a referendum about dramatically changing our system of governance. As Malcolm Turnbull said some years ago, the Voice would be a third chamber of Parliament.
“So this was a big change in the way we govern that’s been rejected tonight. But Aboriginal people haven’t been rejected tonight.
Mr Abbott said it was a “radical power grab by an activist class.”
“That’s what’s been rejected tonight,’’ he said.
“But I would certainly say to any Aboriginal person who’s feeling disappointed: you have not been rejected. What’s been rejected is a proposal that never should have been put... It wasn’t about recognising you, it was about changing our system of government.”
A ‘deplorable tragedy’ unfolding in Australia
Sky News presenter Chris Kenny has slammed a No victory as “deplorable” and “a tragedy.”
Speaking tonight on the referendum coverage, Mr Kenny, a supporter of the Yes campaign, suggested that Liberal leader Peter Dutton was never interested in a compromise.
“They wanted to oppose these and they did,’’ he said.
“And what is tragic about this for the country is that everybody on this panel – everybody wants one thing. Everybody in this country agrees that the current state of affairs and Indigenous disadvantage in this country is deplorable.”
During the broadcast, broadcaster Peta Credlin said it was a rejection of the Voice model, not the idea of constitutional recognition.
Labor frontbencher Michelle Rowland declared there would be “no winners” if the referendum fails but conceded it’s unlikely to be successful. She said it was a mark of “character” that Mr Albanese had pressed ahead, win or lose.
“We have a prime minister who’s had the courage of his convictions to undertake this referendum, as was promised and to prosecute it in a very fulsome way,’’ she said.
“And to do that with a united Labor team, I don’t think I’ve met a single person in the Labor Party who doesn’t support this either.
“So to be able to do that, I think says something about the Prime Minister‘s character and a lot of people do on the character of leadership.”
Australia rocked by sneaky ‘No’ text tactic
Australians have been left furious by a sneaky text tactic from the No campaign which has bombarded voters on polling day.
“Don’t risk a fine! Get to a polling place today and Vote No to the Voice of Division”, the text message reads.
The text was sent from Fair Australia, the largest body advocating to vote no.
One Australian voter angrily shared the text online, pointing out he had not opted in and asked whether it was allowed.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young even referred the matter on hoping the organisation would incur a fine but the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) insisted it was not a breach of the Referendum Act.
The AEC said the man’s phone number had not been leaked from the electoral role, and that as Fair Australia’s website was authorised under Australian law, it was perfectly legal.
The Referendum Act doesn't prohibit these text messages. We can confirm that your phone number didn't come from the Electoral Roll - we don't provide numbers to political parties or campaigners and have no knowledge of where they get that info. More info: https://t.co/PhTViwUfk2
— AEC âœï¸ (@AusElectoralCom) October 14, 2023
Senator Hanson-Young slammed the texts as being akin to Trump’s voter suppression tactics.
“Using lies to scare voters into voting no is straight from the Trump playbook,” she said in a statement.
“This is a sinister scare campaign and if it’s not already, illegal it should be.
Chaos in Melbourne over ‘unacceptable’ wait times to vote
With just a few hours left to cast their votes, thousands in Melbourne have been left frustrated by long wait times at polling centres.
Voters in Docklands, in inner city Melbourne, have taken to social media to show hours-long queues stretching streets upon streets.
Some have accused the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) of causing the chaos through its failure to set up enough places to vote in the central business district.
It appears there is only one polling booth in the CBD, in Docklands.
In a post on X in response to a complaint from a Melbourne resident, the AEC admitted voting in the city was “difficult” and redirected the man to two other polling booths.
Melbourne’s Deputy Lord Mayor Nicolas Reece called the situation “unacceptable”.
“Two hour queue to vote in Docklands after the AEC failed to set up a polling booth in the CBD,” he wrote online. “This is unacceptable in a democracy, especially given we have compulsory voting.”
HI Nick, voting options in the city is difficult – we can’t always get premises for an operation of this size and on short notice. We have pre-poll near the CBD in Nth Melb & Abbotsford. We also have pre-poll centres in major transport hubs throughout the 2 week period.
— AEC âœï¸ (@AusElectoralCom) September 29, 2023
One person shared on Reddit that they lined up at the Docklands centre at 9am and weren’t able to vote until two hours later, at 11am.
Infuriating local residents even more is the fact that there no other voting centres within a kilometre radius of the Melbourne city centre.
And yet elsewhere in the city, some polling booths are dotted just 100m apart.
“That just seems like terrible planning,” someone said.
“What a sh*tshow,” said another.
South Australian voters tilting No on Voice voting day
Exit polling from a crucial must-win state points to a victory for No in the Voice to parliament referendum.
A total of 115 voters across the Adelaide electorate of Boothby were asked how they voted as they left four polling booths. 58 registered a No vote while 56 went for Yes.
The tight numbers deliver a 50.8 per cent No majority versus 49.2 per cent for Yes.
South Australia was a key target for both the Yes and No campaigns as changing the Constitution requires two majorities – a majority of voters plus four out of Australia’s six states.
South Australia’s comparatively small population but equal weight as a state made its votes particularly valuable.
The tight numbers spell trouble for Yes because Boothby is a Labor electorate, currently represented by Louise-Miller Frost.
– with Duncan Evans from NCA Newswire
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Wild reason No conspiracists are voting in pen
Members of the No camp are encouraging other No voters to bring their own pens to the polling booths, for a very bizarre reason.
Some No campaigners are making baseless claims that if you write your vote in pencil, it leaves you at a risk of your vote being changed without your knowledge.
“Remember, always vote in pen because these pricks will change it,” one voter said as he filmed himself writing ‘No’ on the ballot paper.
There have also been reports of No campaigners handing out pens to voters at polling stations.
“Everyone needs to vote in pen. Make sure these clowns don't cheat!” one social media user said.
“I would strongly recommend people take their own Pens and use them instead of a pencil for obvious reasons,” another said.
Vote no. Use pen. #VoteNo#VoteNo2023#VoteNo23pic.twitter.com/DxSbz88bBa
— Sᴜɪᴛ Yá´á´œÊ€sᴇʟғ 👔 (@YourselfSuit) October 14, 2023
Vote NO to the Voice Referendum using a pen on 14 October or at early voting. #VoteNo#VoteNo23#VoteNoToDivision#VoteNoToRacistVoice#VoteNoToRacistAlbopic.twitter.com/fxrAB1B900
— Andy Mitrovic 🇦🇺🇷🇸 (@AndrewMitrovic) October 12, 2023
The AEC has rubbished these claims, saying everyone is welcome to bring a pen to vote if they prefer.
“We supply pencils because they’re cheap, don’t smudge, don’t run out, and can be stored between elections. No one is rubbing out your vote,” the AEC said.
People who can’t vote help Yes campaign
Nanushka can’t vote in today’s referendum as she is a Polish migrant and not an Australian citizen, though she has lived in Sydney for seven years.
But that hasn’t stopped her from campaigning for the Yes side.
At the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern, the 29-year-old has been collecting messages from voters which will be sent on to Indigenous people to show their support.
In a stunning show of support, she’s accrued more than 200 messages.
“When I first arrived in Australia I was not aware of the history so I was lucky to meet some amazing First Nations people who have always been supportive of me and this has been very important to them,” Nanushka told news.com.au.
“So I thought I would do something to help contribute and support them.”
Nanushka’s contribution is getting those coming to vote to leave a message of support to later give to out to the Indigenous centre, regardless of the result.
“I’ve been running around and handing out love hearts to people and asking them to write little messages for the First Nations community so that they feel loved and supported,” Nanushka added.
High profile Aussies share what they voted
A number of high-profile sporting and political public figures have shared their which way they voted with just hours left for Aussies to take to the polls.
With the Socceroos team in the spotlight after losing 1-0 against England last night, they shared their support for the Yes campaign over social media.
Players Andrew Redmayne, Mat Ryan and Jackson Irvin took snaps of themselves wearing Yes T-shirts at the Wembley Stadium in London.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas also threw his support behind the Voice, showing himself placing his ballot into the box.
“I voted yes today,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, WA Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash has thrown her weight behind the No campaign and used the opportunity to criticise the way the referendum had been handled.
Speaking at a press conference in Perth’s north, Ms Cash said if the Voice failed the blame lay on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s shoulders.
“If the Voice does get up, it’s risky, it’s unknown, it’s permanent, but more than that, regardless of the outcome tonight, the one thing Mr Albanese has done is divide this nation, and it’s a great shame that he has done this as a leader,” she said.
“If the Yes case does not get up, that lies squarely at the feet of our prime minister, because he chose to walk down this divisive path and threw away the opportunity for bipartisan support.”
It's time to make history. Say yes to progress.#VoteYes#VoiceToParliament#Yes23pic.twitter.com/qF2RnsoVz8
— Professional Footballers Australia (@thepfa) October 14, 2023
I voted yes today.
— Peter Malinauskas (@PMalinauskasMP) October 14, 2023
Others will choose to vote differently.
Whatever the outcome, I’m proud we live in a peaceful democracy. pic.twitter.com/nSyxvdPiVM
Albo fires up over Uluru Statement question
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has fired up during a press conference, lashing out at “the media” after being asked a question about the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
“You made a promise to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart. If this referendum fails will you push ahead with other elements of that?” a reporter asked.
The 2017 Uluru Statement is the document that informed the decision to have a referendum on creating an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
The document also flagged the importance of truth-telling about Australia’s history and a process for treaty with First Nations Australians following the Voice.
Mr Albanese previously said Labor was committed to implementing the Uluru Statement “in full”, though a Yes vote would not automatically kickstart a treaty process.
The PM clearly wasn’t impressed at receiving this question on Saturday, accusing the media of “looking to talk about something that this referendum isn’t about”.
“Can we concentrate between now and 6pm on what people are voting for? Can we just do that?”
He claimed the question was an example of “what’s been happening” in the Voice debate, claiming people are only voting on “recognition and listening”.
“What this is about is constitutional recognition and a non-binding advisory committee that won’t have any power except for the power of its ideas. A capacity to talk to government. Why? Because when we listen to people directly affected, we get better outcomes.”
Referendum sparks 50-year school reunion
Among the long lines of people waiting to vote, a few ladies took this opportunity to visit their old high school while casting their votes today.
Rose* told news.com.au that their request to reunite with some old friends at their old stomping grounds had been denied by the MacArthur Girls High School administrators.
“When we asked the school if we could come and have a visit. We suggested todays date before the Voice was announced and they [the school] told us ‘no sorry. You’re not allowed.’”
“And initially we were going to give up but then realised the school was open because of the referendum as if it was God’s plan.”
Lauren* said that seeing how the school had changed within the last 50 years was amazing.
“It’s almost unrecognisable. There’s so many trees around, the quad is different. I’m grateful that we got the opportunity to visit. Thank God for the referendum!”
*Names have been changed
– Tileah Dobson
No campaigners ‘arrogantly abandon’ booths on voting day
Those campaigning against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament have “arrogantly abandoned” their posts outside polling booths, a Melbourne-based political expert has claimed, which could see the Yes side claw back some votes.
Kos Samaras, founder of political consultancy firm Redbridge and a former key Victorian Labor strategist, made the observation on Saturday morning.
“Absence of No volunteers at polling places is stark,” he wrote on social platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
He said this was good news for the Yes campaign, who could “convert” the undecided at the 11th hour.
The biggest and most overlooked driver of the No vote is actually apathy. Not being present is a mistake. Don’t know the impact though
— Kos Samaras (@KosSamaras) October 13, 2023
It’s not just Mr Samaras; others have also noticed that No campaigners are few and far between in some parts of the major cities.
In the inner Sydney suburbs of Leichardt, Summer Hill and Redfern, voters told news.com.au not a single No campaigner was in sight.
It was the same in Greenwich, on the North Shore, and Bardwell, in the south, although it’s worth noting these areas have been forecast to have a large amount of Yes voters compared to other regions across the country.
Elsewhere, at the Arthur Philip School polling booth in Parramatta, in western Sydney, there were five Yes campaigners to just one No lobbyist.
– Alex Turner-Cohen and Tileah Dobson
‘Un-Australian’: Voter rages at $5 sausage
Grabbing a democracy sausage is arguably one of the best parts of heading out to vote, however, one Aussie has been forced to turn away empty-handed after being shocked by the price of a simple sausage sandwich.
“I could handle $2L for petrol … but a $5 democracy sausage? Un-Australian,” the voter wrote on Instagram.
It is unclear exactly where these $5 sausages are located, but the going rate at other polling centres seems to be around $3.
Kamahl considers changing Voice vote … again
Australian singer Kamahl has revealed he is on the verge of changing his stance on the Voice yet again.
The 88-year-old has been flip-flopping between support for the referendum and being against it, with his most recent stance landing him firmly in the No camp.
However, a late night post on X suggests he could have a another change of heart before heading to the polling booth today.
I have just been spectacularly reprimanded by a very close life long friend for having admitted to have chosen NO. Perhaps Prof. Langton may be able to help negotiate a withdrawal of my Flip Flop Flip to a final fourth FLIP to a YES???
— Kamahl AM (@OfficialKamahl) October 13, 2023
Is that at all possible ???@OfficialKamahl
“I have just been spectacularly reprimanded by a very close life long friend for having admitted to have chosen NO. Perhaps Prof. Langton may be able to help negotiate a withdrawal of my Flip Flop Flip to a final fourth FLIP to a YES??? Is that at all possible ???” he wrote.
The singer followed up with another post, asking his followers whether “following one’s conscience” or keeping lifelong, irreplaceable friendship was more important.
Imagine being all alone with a glass of wine@ 2am & the unbearable weight of the pain & suffering of the WORLD in plain sight ON your Computer. Add to it the fate of the VOICE,YES or NO? A granddaughter in USA & her Mother in UK.
— Kamahl AM (@OfficialKamahl) October 13, 2023
What a life, no wife, such's Life @Officialkamahl
Kamahl previously told news.com.au there were “other priorities for Indigenous Australians” rather than the Voice.
“I don’t know what they are going to achieve out of it,” he said.
“If it is so good, why is it dividing the Indigenous community?”
Long lines already forming at polling centres
Voting has been opened for just over an hour, yet long queues have already begun to form at voting centres.
Photos taken in Blacktown and Parramatta show lines already stretching out the door of a polling place by 9am.
Blacktown MP Stephen Bali said it had been a positive morning so far, with voters being “friendly” to one another.
“It’s fairly positive this morning and people are coming out and they’re friendly which is the important thing in having a democracy and having your say,” he said.
Almost half of Aussies have already cast their vote
Almost half of the 17.6 million people on the electoral roll have already cast their votes in the referendum.
About 8.41 million Aussies have voted early, with over one million votes cast on Friday alone, making it the biggest single day of pre-polling in Australia’s history.
Yesterday was the biggest single day of pre-polling in Aust history with just over 1 million votes cast.
— AEC âœï¸ (@AusElectoralCom) October 13, 2023
Overall, around 6.13 million people voted at an early voting centre. This compares to 5.6 million in 2022 & is the most votes cast at early voting centres in Aust history. 👇
Rove McManus cops backlash over Voice rant
On Friday night, comedian Rove McManus made an impassioned plea for Australians to be “decent for once” and vote Yes in the referendum.
Speaking on The Project, he claimed the Voice had been “manipulated”, before revealing what he claimed was “mind-blowing” about No voters following a conversation with his nine-year-old daughter.
“She said, ‘I can‘t believe anyone would vote no to this’, and that’s what breaks my heart,” he said.
“What are we doing to ourselves? This is a real moment where we can be proud and show what a wonderful country this is.”
It seems that his comments have proven divisive, with the No camp lashing out at the comedian, taking particular issue with his call to be “decent”.
‘My daughter was there, she got it, she's 9.’ As Australia inches closer to Referendum Day, Rove explains why our First Nations People should be given a Voice to Parliament. pic.twitter.com/xpWgZIuk13
— The Project (@theprojecttv) October 13, 2023
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson labelled the rant a “last ditch effort to bully voters”.
“You would think the Yes campaign would have learned by now, Aussies are sick of celebrity bullies and tomorrow they will head to the polls to Vote No to their Voice of Division,” she wrote on X.
“Rove” McManus telling us to ‘be decent for once’ showing his contempt for ordinary Australians who he clearly believes to be indecent. Oh and Rove, citing your 9 year old child is crass emotional nonsense,” another person said.
Others slammed his comments as “demeaning”, “insulting” and “desperate”.
However, there were those who backed McManus’ stance, with one person saying they had a “new respect” for him following his spiel.
“Well said, Rove! I teach politically savvy teenagers- they get it. They know it’s a simple advisory body which will help to close the gap,” another person said.
‘Uncomfortable fault lines’: World watching on
As Australia prepares to make a historic decision, the rest of the world has made it clear they are watching very closely.
Major international media outlets have commented the Voice vote and haven’t held back in expressing what they think a ‘No’ vote will mean for the nation.
The BBC has branded today’s referendum a “nation-defining poll”, noting a Yes vote will recognise First Nations people in the constitution and establish a body to advise the government on issues affecting Indigenous communities.
“A No outcome will reject both reforms,” the article states.
“The historic vote has exposed uncomfortable fault lines, and raised questions over Australia’s ability to reckon with its past.”
A New York Times article claimed that the Voice vote is stirring “unsettling questions about Australia’s identity”, while also noting the bid is “likely to fail”.
“The coming vote has surfaced uncomfortable, unsettled questions about Australia’s past, present and future,” the article states.
“Does it recognise its colonial history as benign or harmful? How does it understand the disadvantages facing Indigenous people?
“Should the hundreds of Indigenous tribes that first inhabited the continent have the right to decide if and how to meld their traditions and cultures into modern society, or just be encouraged to assimilate?”
11th hour Voice poll shows swing in votes
There has been a late swing to the Yes vote, however, it is not enough secure a majority in any state, according to the final Newspoll before the referendum.
Newspoll conducted for The Weekend Australian shows a three-point swing toward a Yes vote over the past week to 37 per cent.
But a clear majority – 57 per cent of surveyed voters – told pollsters they intend to vote No.
The number of undecided voters has dwindled to just 6 per cent of voters.
According to Newspoll, if this number broke equally the final result would be 60-40 against the Voice.
For a referendum to pass, it needs to reach a double majority. This means the majority of the nation as a whole and the majority of states have to vote Yes.
More than 50 per cent of the population in four of Australia’s six states – NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and West Australia – need to vote in favour of the change.
Votes in the Northern Territory and the ACT only count towards the national vote.
‘Kindness costs nothing’: Albo’s final plea to voters
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued his final plea to voters, telling Australians it will cost them nothing to “show kindness” when they enter the polling booth today.
“This week of all weeks, where we see such trauma in the world, there is nothing, no cost to Australians in showing kindness with their heart as well as their head when they enter the polling booth tomorrow and voting Yes,” he said.
“Because, my goodness, kindness costs nothing. Thinking of others cost nothing.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told Nine Network that he is hoping for a No vote outcome, claiming the proposition “hasn’t been properly explained”.
“It’s divisive, it’s permanent once it goes into the Constitution, and I just don’t think in their millions Australians are going to support it,” he said.
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