Aussies think First Nations people should have voice, despite vote

Nearly nine in 10 Australian voters believe First Nations people should have a say in the issues that affect them, despite the No result in the recent voice referendum.

The Australian National University research also found 76 per cent of those who voted No thought Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders deserved a voice when it came to key policies and political decisions.

Researchers tracked more than 4200 voters from January 2023 and continuing throughout the proposed Voice to parliament referendum campaign and result.

READ MORE: How one Sydney council is trying to cool down a suburb this summer

The study also found 79.4 per cent of those surveyed believed the federal government should help improve reconciliation, and 80.5 per cent think Australia should "undertake formal Truth-telling processes to acknowledge the reality of Australia's shared history".

"So this raises serious questions about why the proposed referendum failed and saw more than 60 per cent of voters, and all states and territories, except the ACT, categorically reject it," co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle said.

"Our findings suggest it is not such much the premise of recognition but the model that was being presented to voters at the referendum, among other key factors."

Biddle said the survey found the majority of voters supported some type of broad constitutional recognition for First Nations Australians. 

"Almost five times as many Australians, 61.7 per cent, said they would definitely or probably would have voted yes if there was a referendum on recognition compared to those who said that they would probably or definitely would have voted no – 12.5 per cent," he said.

The survey found nearly four in five (79.1 per cent) Australians feel proud of First Nations cultures.

The full results of the survey will be released in full by the ANU in Canberra later today.

In October the Voice to parliament was defeated, with 60 per cent of Australians voting "no".