STORY: Australian PM concedes failure of Indigenous Voice referendum
DATELINE: Oct. 14, 2023
LENGTH: 0:02:22
LOCATION: Canberra
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of streets views in Sydney
2. various of posters
3. various of polling stations in Canberra

STORYLINE:

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has conceded defeat in the country's landmark referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
   
Speaking in the national capital Canberra on Saturday night hours after polls closed, Albanese said it was clear a majority of Australians had voted against changing the constitution to establish an Indigenous advisory body to the federal parliament.
   
Polling booths across Australia on Saturday opened for the country's first referendum in the 21st century, with voters to decide on whether or not to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Millions of Australians voted "yes" or "no" on the proposal to alter the constitution to recognize the First Peoples of Australia by establishing the voice, which would advise the federal parliament on all issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
   
In order for the constitution to be changed, the "yes" vote must secure a double majority, meaning that more than 50 percent of voters nationally as well as a majority in at least four out of Australia's six states must vote in favor. Voting is mandatory for Australians aged 18 and over who are registered on the electoral roll.
   
Only eight of the 44 referendums in Australian history have achieved a double majority "yes" vote, the most recent of which was in 1977. Five more referendums achieved a majority in favor nationally but failed to secure majority support in enough states.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Canberra.
(XHTV)