Is it compulsory to vote in the Voice to Parliament referendum?

The date for Australia’s first referendum in 24 years has finally been revealed. And Australians who fail to have their say face a huge fine.

Australians will head to the polls to have their say in the Voice to parliament referendum on October 14, by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed today.

The last referendum Australians were asked to vote in occurred in 1999 when citizens were asked if Australia should become a republic.

And just like that time, all Australians who are aged 18 and over, and who have already enrolled to vote, must take part.

So yes, it is compulsory for all Australian citizens to vote in the Voice to Parliament referendum, just as it is mandatory to vote for a federal election.

Currently there are more than 17.5 million people enrolled to vote in Australia.

“It’s been 24 years since we last had a referendum,” Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said.

“Approximately 6.4 million enrolled Australians weren’t of voting age when we had our most recent referendum in 1999 – for a lot of people the role of a referendum won’t be familiar.”

The AEC this year launched its Your Answer Matters advertising campaign to help inform citizens, as well as newly enrolled voters.

Since 1901, 44 proposed changes to the Constitution have been put forward to the Australian public for a referendum — and only eight have been approved for constitutional change.

Here are some frequently asked questions you need answered:

What are the rules for the referendum in Australia?

Voters must answer the one question put to them in the referendum with either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

The question is: “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 of this proposed alteration?”

What happens if I don’t vote?

For the federal election last year, you risked a $20 fine or a court date if you didn’t vote.

So if the referendum is the same, a $20 penalty will arrive in the mail, courtesy of the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) if you don’t vote.

Failure to pay in time could see the fine blow out to in excess of $200, alongside court fees.

Australians could face a $200 fine if they don’t vote in the referendum.

Why is it important to vote in a referendum?

A referendum gives Australian citizens a say in a possible change to the Constitution. Every who votes should have a right to have their say in what happens in their country.

How many people need to vote yes in a referendum?

For the referendum to go through, there needs to be a double majority — where a majority of voters from all states and territories vote ‘Yes’; and a majority of voters in at least four out of the six states also vote ‘Yes’.

What percentage do you need to pass the referendum in Australia?

There is no exact percentage, but it does need to be a majority percentage saying ‘Yes’ compared to the ‘No’ votes.

How many people voted no in the 1999 referendum?

In the republic referendum 24 years ago, 6,410,787 people voted no (making it 54.87%), compared to 5,273,024 who voted yes (45.13%).

How many Australians are eligible to vote?

As of June 30, 2023 17,565,728 were enrolled to vote in Australia, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.

Why does Australia need a referendum?

Members of parliament and the Governor-General do not have power to amend the Constitution — but the people have the power instead. So the only way the Constitution can be amended is by a majority of citizens on the electoral roll – basically Australians aged 18 and over — voting ‘Yes’ in a referendum.