Overwhelming No from South Australia in 2023 federal referendum on Aboriginal recognition and voice to parliament
South Australian senator Kerrynn Liddle (at right) campaigning for the No vote that received about 65% support (inset: Sunday Mail ) in the 2023 referendum on Aboriginal recognition and a voice to parliament in the Australian Constitution. Left: Reaction from Yes supporters and South Australian federal government ministers Penny Wong and Amanada Rishworth speaking for Yes during the campaign.
Images for ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News by Che Chorley, Ethan Rix and Shari Hams
South Australians overwhelmingly rejected an Aboriginal voice to the federal parliament being enshrined in the Australian Constitution with about 65% voting No in the 2023 referendum.
South Australia, that gained special attention during the referendum campaign as expected to be pivotal to the result,was the only state that failed to have voters in any of its federal electorates in a Yes majority. Less than an hour after polls closed in South Australia on Saturday, October 14, the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) elections expert Antony Green predicted a No from South Australia, joining all other states and the Northern Territory. The Australian Capital Territory returned the only Yes.
The South Australian Yes vote was highest in Adelaide’s inner suburban electorates against the strong No in outer suburbs and the regions.
South Australian Liberal Senator Kerrynne Liddle told ABC News the result was entirely consistent with her predictions and “certainly reflective of what the Aboriginal people I've been talking to have been telling me." One of the most prominent South Australian opponents of the proposed Voice, Liddle said it was regrettable that the "whole campaign" had been "based on emotion. The divisive way that this campaign has been conducted by some. That's really sad. We've seen families arguing at the kitchen table, we've seen communities arguing about their position, we've seen people in workplaces being silenced by their workplaces taking a position on this."
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas said that the referendum would not impede the already-legislated state voice to parliament but "it's really unfortunate that our nation's birth certificate, our constitution, neglected to mention the traditional owners of the land."
Yes campaigner and Adnyamathanha elder Uncle Charles Jackson had hoped constitutional recognition would create reconciliation and unity. He said the outcome had made him question whether Australia was going in the right direction for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: "To be told that you're not accepted would send a very emotional impact not only on the elders but also the young people too."
Adnyamathanha, Mirning, Kuyani, Kupurn woman Candace Champion said she was concerned that information regarding the Voice was not translated well enough in first languages for remote communities to fully understand what the referendum meant.
No campaigner and Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation chairman Tim Agius said people were still coming to terms with the outcome: "People are saying, more than anything, that it was evident that there was a huge divide in the community between the Yes and No camps.”
