Poltics
The Indigenous Jabber to Parliament referendum will happen on Saturday, October 14.
The question on the ballot paper would possibly be: “A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Jabber. Carry out you approve this proposed alteration?”
We’re answering readers’ lingering questions about the Jabber right here, but right here is information specifically on what to quiz on referendum day.
When trace polls end?
Polling cubicles will start at 8am and end at 6pm, local time. Folk can vote at any polling place of their gain state and territory — for of us that are interstate, there would possibly be special interstate balloting cubicles.
The ballot paper will encompass a box where voters write both “Sure” or “No”.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has an online tool that helps of us find a suitable balloting place. Early and postal balloting are options as well — the AEC has more information on that on its online page. Early balloting places end Friday, and the deadline to apply for a postal vote is 6pm on Wednesday, October 11.
Exact care for on an election day, many polling places will provide democracy sausages for sale. There is an online tool for finding these as well.
Balloting is compulsory.
When will we all know the outcomes?
Because polls end 6pm local time, some states will achieve balloting later than others.
AEC commissioner Tom Rogers has said he won’t be able to officially declare any states till postal votes have been counted. The return date for postal votes is 2 weeks after October 14.
The ABC’s Antony Green writes on his blog that that delay doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll have to wait two weeks to find out the final consequence: “Except the final consequence is extraordinarily end, we are able to know the final consequence on election night time. And if the polling is accurate, we may know the final consequence in a short time … If Sure or No has a significant lead on election night time when four-fifths of votes are counted, it’s miles extremely now not really that the outstanding one-fifth of the vote can overturn an election night time lead. With the exception of in the case of a very narrow Sure lead.”
An AEC spokesperson told Crikey: “The timing for when Australians gain an indication of whether or now not or now not the referendum would possibly be carried entirely depends on how end the margin is.”
Journalists would possibly be fed outcomes thru the evening via the AEC, the same way elections work.
What’s going to be on TV?
It’s safe to assume all the major television networks will provide are living coverage of the vote count.
The ABC will initiate its coverage at 5.30pm AEDT and the of us on display will reportedly encompass David Speers, Bridget Brennan, Patricia Karvelas, Laura Tingle, Isabella Higgins and Green. TV guides indicate the coverage will bustle till 10pm.
The Australian stories Sky News will initiate its “in-depth coverage” at 5pm AEDT. The program would possibly be anchored by Kieran Gilbert, and the panel will encompass political editor Andrew Clennell and hosts Chris Kenny and Peta Credlin.
Sky’s coverage will also encompass Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, Nationals leader David Littleproud, Indigenous affairs commentator Anthony Dillon and faded Labor minister Stephen Conroy, as well as hosts Paul Murray, Laura Jayes and northern Australian correspondent Matt Cunningham.
A Nine spokesperson told Crikey: “We can be providing updates at some point of the day and dedicated news coverage in the evening, together with a special late bulletin.”
Seven had no information on its coverage, but a TV information showed slots marked “The Jabber referendum” at 7pm and 9.50pm.
How many of us have voted early?
As of Sunday, October 8, the AEC had acquired 2,21,581 early votes. The commission had acquired 1,945,823 postal vote applications, and 92,162 of us had voted via an AEC cellular polling team.