Australia votes against creating an Indigenous panel to advise Parliament

Indigenous women sit on a bench at a polling place in Sydney as Australians cast their final votes in the referendum to create an Indigenous advocacy committee to Parliament. (Rick Rycroft/AP)

CANBERRA, Australia — Advocates for constitutional change in Australia said they were devastated on Saturday by the defeat of a referendum that would have created an advocacy committee to offer advice to Parliament on policies that affect Indigenous people — the nation's most disadvantaged ethnic minority.

Early counting showed that 57% of voters opposed the Indigenous Voice. Australian Broadcasting Corp. projections found New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia had rejected the amendment.