Australians will vote before the end of this year on whether to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament after legislation to hold the referendum passed the Senate on Monday afternoon.

The legislation means the Government will allow Australians to vote on whether to amend the constitution to include the Indigenous Voice to Parliament which would serve as an independent advisory board to the government.

 The Voice would be able to make recommendations to the Government but not actually dictate or pass legislation, nor will it deliver any of the services it supports itself.

As The Voice’s inclusion would require amendments to the Australian constitution, it requires a majority vote in a referendum to become official.

Legislation to hold a referendum already passed the Lower House in May, and now that the Senate has also approved the bill, all that remains is for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to set a date for Australians to vote.

The referendum must be held some time in the next six months, though it’s expected Albanese will set a date for October.

 The Senate passed the bill with 52 votes for and 19 votes against. Labor largely voted in favour of The Voice, while those against came from Nationals, One Nation, Liberals and Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe.

To understand more about The Voice, read the Uluru Statement from the Heart https://ulurustatement.org/the-statement/ or visit the Government's official Voice website https://voice.gov.au/

Read about why you might vote yes https://togetheryes.com.au/ or https://yes23.com.au/ or why you might vote no https://www.fairaustralia.com.au/ or https://www.advanceaustralia.org.au/