(Technically One way of measuring the scale of the victory for the votes were plebiscites, although at the time and No in the Voice referendum is to compare it to the since they’ve been described as ‘referendums’.) The outcomes of other fiercely-fought contests in the referendum to ban the Communist Party was defeated country’s political history in which the Australian because a majority of Austra. [...] eleven different organisations, which reflected the enormous public interest in the referendum. The lack The other two surveys of the Voice vote are the 2023 of interest from the media and academia in examining Australian Constitutional Referendum Study (‘the why the Voice was defeated is perplexing. Perhaps ACRS survey’) by the Centre for Social Research the absence of curiosity about why the V. [...] electorate with the highest Yes vote of 77% was the seat of Melbourne held by the Greens.) An alternative interpretation is that the outcome of the referendum was not a ‘repudiation of civil The authors of the analysis of the ACRS survey made society’ but rather was a repudiation of the this comment about elite endorsements of political leadership of civil society. [...] and Catholic Church, the Grand Mufti of Australia, the chair of the Australian Sangha Association, the David Adler, the President of the Australian Jewish President of the Executive Council of Australian Association said, ‘Many in the Jewish community Jewry, the President of the Hindu Council of Australia, are fearful of the introduction of race-based laws in the President of the National Council. [...] The sweeping and rapid who was a member of the 14-person committee of changes of recent years imposed by elite opinion the Referendum Council that endorsed the proposal on interpersonal relations, the use of language, for a referendum on the Voice, issued a ‘Qualifying and on the nation’s understanding of itself have no Statement’ following the release of the Council’s democratic mandate.
- Pages
- 46
- Published in
- Australia
Table of Contents
- The Voice Why Australians voted to be equal - The Australians Speak 2023 survey 2
- Contents 3
- 1. Executive Summary 4
- 2.1 The significance of 14 October 2023. 5
- 2. Background 5
- 2023 The Voice Referendum No - 60.06 Yes - 39.94 6
- 2.2 The research history of the Institute of 6
- Public Affairs and the Voice. 6
- 2.3 The Australians Speak 2023 survey. 9
- 3.1 Australians voted No because they believed the Voice would divide the country. 10
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 10
- 3. Key Findings 10
- 3.2 Even with bipartisan support the 17
- Voice would have failed. 17
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 19
- 3.3 Big business and elite support for the Voice likely increased support for No. 21
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 22
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 24
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 25
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 26
- 3.4 More than a third of Labor voters voted No. 26
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 27
- 3.5 A significant proportion of young Australians voted No. A majority of males in 27
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 28
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 29
- 3.6 Social media was the biggest influence on young Australians. Mainstream 31
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 32
- 3.7 The leaders of the No campaign had significantly higher profiles and 33
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 33
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 35
- 3.8 Despite the defeat of the Voice there remains majority support for Indigenous recognition. 36
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - Regardless of how you voted in the Voice referendum to what extent do you support or oppose recognition of Indigenous Australians in the Constitution 36
- AUSTRALIANS SPEAK 2023 - 37
- 4. Some conclusions about the 38
- 2023 Voice referendum 38
- 4.1 Ideas matter 38
- 4.2 Democracy won 39
- 4.3 Leadership counts 40
- References 41
- About the Institute of Public Affairs 45
- About the author 45
