To one of the first major political interviews of the morning, and Northern Territory Senator Malarndirri McCarthy has fronted Nine’s Today Show.
The Labor senator was asked how confident she is in Australians voting “yes” in a referendum on whether to establish an Indigenous Voice to parliament.
NT Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy.
As you might be aware, there have been more than 40 referendums held since the federation. Of those, just a handful have been successful.
Here’s what McCarthy had to say:
Out of all the referendum only eight have passed. And we do reflect on the 1967 referendum in which there was overwhelming support, over 90 per cent, to allow the Commonwealth to make laws in relation to First Nations people.
What we recognize here, too, is the difficult task. I think, as the prime minister said, we know that failure is very possible because of the statistics. But the failure to not try is even worse.
What I came away with [the] garma [Festival] was sense of hope. The fire has been burning… ever since the Uluru statement.
For a referendum to be successful in Australia, it must achieve a double majority: a majority of those voting nationwide as well as a majority of voters in a majority of states.
For example, if 63 per cent of Australians vote “yes” to a Voice to parliament, and there is a majority of people voting “yes” in four out of six states, then the upcoming referendum would be successful.