Voice referendum live news: Australians reject historic Indigenous vote - BBC News
Australian national broadcaster ABC has projected three states voted No, effectively defeating the referendum.
A defaced 'Vote Yes' sign is seen in Bassendean in Perth in Western Australia where polls have not yet closed Image caption: A defaced 'Vote Yes' sign is seen in Bassendean in Perth in Western Australia where polls have not yet closed

If you're just joining us, the latest news is that Australians have voted No and rejected a historical Indigenous referendum known as the Voice.

Here are some details about what the referendum was about and what we know about its outcome.

What is the Voice?

The Voice sought to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander body to advise the government on the issues affecting their communities. As well as creating an advisory body, the amendment sought to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as Australia’s First Peoples in its constitution.

What did the No campaign say?

The official No campaign said the Voice was a "radical" proposal that would "permanently divide" the country by giving First Nations people greater rights than other Australians.

It also argued the Voice is "a leap into the unknown" because it hasn't been "road-tested", pointing to the lack of detail about how it would operate.

Grassroots groups - such as the Indigenous-led Black sovereign movement - have spoken out against the Voice for other reasons though. Their argument is that it would be "another powerless advisory body" and that treaty negotiations should be prioritised instead.

What did Yes campaigners say?

They said Constitutional recognition of Indigenous peoples as the first inhabitants of Australia would drive practical change and argued that having an Indigenous-led elected advisory body would deliver real improvements in areas such as life expectancy, infant mortality, health, education and employment.

They believed such a body would also help governments use funding more effectively and also symbolically give Australia a chance to reconcile with its past as it charts its future.

How was the vote called so quickly?

In order to succeed, the Voice needed a majority of voters in a majority of states. That means over 50% of the population and at least four out of the country’s six states would have needed to say Yes. But early vote counting showed very quickly that three states - Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales - had voted No, meaning that the referendum could not pass.

Stay with us as we bring you more updates on reactions to this outcome.