It is on for October 14.
Flanked by Indigenous "yes" proponents, Labor ministers and the South Australian Premier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has set the campaigns for and against enshrining a Voice to Parliament in the constitution off on a six-and-a-half week hunt for a double majority referendum result.
After weeks of speculation, Mr Albanese made the announcement in the "critical state" of South Australia.
"The idea for a voice came from the people and it will be decided by the people. Today I announce that referendum day will be the 14th of October, " the Prime Minister announced to cheers from the crowd.
"On that day, every Australian will have a once in a generation chance to bring our country together. And to change it for the better."
"To vote for recognition, listening and better results. And I ask all Australians to vote 'yes'."
To a revved up audience, Mr Albanese said an independent Voice will allow politicians to hear directly from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities about the challenges they face in health and education, in jobs and housing.
"We'll be able to learn about the things that are working in local areas so we can replicate them and make them work right around the country," he said.
"And giving locals a say of course means that we save money too. Because we'll be making sure the funding actually reaches the people on the ground. No more waste, better results, where they are needed."
Addressing the "no" case, Mr Albanese cast aside arguments that there is not enough detail saying: "If you are unsure, it is easy to find out more."
He also said voting "yes" won't fix everything for Indigenous people overnight as challenges have been built up over generations.
The Prime Minister said the alternative, voting "no", led nowhere.
"It means nothing changes. Voting no closes the door on this opportunity to move forward," he said.
"I say today, don't close the door on constitutional recognition. Don't close the door on listening to communities to get better results. Don't close the door on an idea that came from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves and don't close the door on the next generation of Indigenous Australians. Vote 'yes'."
The 2023 Referendum has been officially announced for Saturday 14 October 2023. It's been 24 years since the last referendum, so make sure you're enrolled to vote or that your details are up to date! https://t.co/1McL1Ef6iM pic.twitter.com/5HMhI8YD1S
— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) August 30, 2023
The historic vote will ask 17.5 million eligible voters if the First Peoples of Australia should be recognised by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to the Parliament and the executive government.
It is proposed as an advisory body on issues that affect Indigenous Australians and Parliament would have the final veto. Being enshrined in the constitution is regarded as long overdue recognition and necessary to avoid a Voice being abolished at a "stroke of a pen".
'A seat at the table'
One of the architects of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and co-chair of the Uluru Dialogue, Professor Megan Davis, welcomed the date announcement saying, "Here we are."
She said a Voice will be about listening and acting.
"Best practice globally tells us that human beings are more likely to flourish if they have control over their lives. To dream, to have vision, to plan - this is what the Voice is about," she told the crowd. "It permits our people to have a seat at the table."
"The drafters of the Australian Constitution did not leave it to politicians to change the constitution, and there are many constitutions in the world like that.
"They could have, instead, they left it to "we", the people. This is about our agency as Australians to make change together. This is about unity of purpose."
To pass, the Voice referendum needs the support of a majority of voters in four of the six states, and a majority of voters nationally.
Question for voters
The referendum question that will be put to voters 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 this proposed alteration?
Voters, like at other referendums, are asked to answer "yes or "no," hence the emphasis on the words in the for and against campaign names.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Penny Wong responded to former prime minister John Howard, a prominent "no" advocate, who urged those opposed to an Indigenous advisory body enshrined in the constitution to "maintain the rage".
"Well, I don't think this should be about anger or fear. It's about, as I said, recognition, not about rage," she told RN Breakfast.
"It's about recognition, and it's not about anger and fear. It's about listening and getting better outcomes.
"I'd encourage people to listen to the discussion rather than to be told to maintain the rage."
Asked what would happen if the "yes" side lost, the senator insisted there were plans on winning, before she adding, "No political change is guaranteed. No progress is ever guaranteed. We know that through history. Remember how much Mr Howard opposed an apology?"
The "no" side claims there is still not enough detail on the proposition, but the Albanese government insists Parliament will determine the shape and function of the Voice.
There are no current plans to hold an official "no" launch.
The official "yes" campaign body Yes23, which now boasts 30,000 volunteers for its "ground game", said it has polling that about 40 per cent of the population is still undecided.
Why October 14 for the referendum date?
By law, after the bill to trigger the referendum was passed in June, the poll had to be called between late September and December.
Mid-October is a sweet spot that avoids major football finals and gets ahead of the northern wet season.
It also comes at the end of a three-week parliamentary break, so it misses the heavy, largely negative political debate.
It is no fluke that the announcement is taking place in the capital of South Australia, a state widely regarded like Tasmania as a swing state.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said on Monday that he expected the final result would be "tight."
