About this Project
The Voice referendum will be the first time in a generation that Australians will be asked to consider amending our Constitution. To ensure that referendum is conducted in a mature, accurate and informed manner, and that the ultimate result is legitimate and reflective of the will of the Australian people, it is vital that voters be empowered to make an informed choice in exercising their democratic right. This requires that the voters be supported through the provision of accessible, public facing legal resources and education regarding the upcoming referendum. This project is designed to provide this service and enhance legal literacy both as to the nature of referendum and the specifics of the Voice proposal.
This project is designed to provide accurate, evidence-based information and links to resources, to members of the public in an accessible and informative way.
It is not the purpose of this project to advocate for a given position. Instead its aim is to empower the public in their exercise of their democratic vote by ensuring that they have access to a carefully curated selection of accessible and understandable materials to allow them to make a meaningfully informed choice. It is premised on the follow ideals:
This website is designed to provide this vital public service in a non-partisan manner, supported by subject-matter experts.
This project is designed to provide accurate, evidence-based information and links to resources, to members of the public in an accessible and informative way.
It is not the purpose of this project to advocate for a given position. Instead its aim is to empower the public in their exercise of their democratic vote by ensuring that they have access to a carefully curated selection of accessible and understandable materials to allow them to make a meaningfully informed choice. It is premised on the follow ideals:
- Everyone has the right to understand the purpose, objectives and structure of the proposed Voice amendment to the Constitution, and to understand the arguments for and against the reform.
- All Australians should expect access to clear, accurate and informative resources about the process of Constitutional change, and the implications of this particular proposal.
This website is designed to provide this vital public service in a non-partisan manner, supported by subject-matter experts.
Australians Need access to Accurate, Impartial Information
The information provided on this site is not designed to influence voters to either support or oppose the Voice. Ultimately, every single voter will have to determine for themselves whether the Voice is in Australia's best interest.
Voters may disagree that the Voice mechanism is the best means of meeting these objectives, that these objectives are better served in other ways, or indeed that these are not objectives we should be pursuing as a nation. These are all issues upon which people might disagree.
In a referendum such as this there are different issues to be understood:
Voters may disagree that the Voice mechanism is the best means of meeting these objectives, that these objectives are better served in other ways, or indeed that these are not objectives we should be pursuing as a nation. These are all issues upon which people might disagree.
- But before people chose whether to support the Voice or not, it is incumbent upon as - as citizens - to understand what is actually being proposed. This may not be the same thing as either the Yes or the No campaign present.
In a referendum such as this there are different issues to be understood:
- The Actual Change Being Proposed: This includes the core design, and the objectives this change is intended to meet.
- The YES Case: This sets out the case for change - this includes explaining why those objectives are worth pursuing and why this design is effective at meeting those objectives
- The NO Case: This sets out the reasons not to support that change - whether because those are not the objectives we should be pursuing, because this design will not meet those objectives, or because there are competing values or costs that outweigh any benefit
This site, is dedicated to the first of these first tasks. This is not value neutral. If one party or the other wishes to mislead or deceive the public by pretending that what is being proposed is in fact different to the actual proposal, then this portray will be at odd with this ambition.
How they vote, based on that information, is up to them.
- We respect the electorate by giving them clear, accessible and evidenced-based information about what is actually being proposed.
How they vote, based on that information, is up to them.
