Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – A referendum to change the constitution and create a body called Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, has failed. The Australian public gave a majority result, and there were no results at either national or state level.

The federal government will face questions about how it plans to handle Indigenous affairs without a comprehensive policy from Voice.

Quoting the ABC page, after the defeat of the federal Parliament, the government will hold another week-long session in Canberra on Monday, where the government will face questions about what it will do with the remainder of the Uluru Statement.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on the eve of the May 2022 election that his government was committed to fully implementing the Uluru Statement, namely Voice, Agreement and Truth.

Before the referendum, the government would not have considered its plans for Makarrata, meaning the agreement and truth-telling commitments in the Uluru Statement.

Then the question arose about whether the government would proceed with the Vote Act to Parliament if the referendum failed. However, this is unlikely given that this is not what the Uluru Statement from the Heart calls for.

Albanese ruled out creating a Voting Act if he doesn’t win the campaign.

However, the Coalition insists that they will legislate for regional and local Voice bodies if they win government at the next federal election.

The government will now face the challenge of defining its Indigenous affairs policy beyond its Voice to Parliament commitments.

The National Council for Indigenous Peoples of Australia has stated in its corporate plan that implementing the Uluru Statement will be a key priority over the next four years.

However, this agency relies on government policies to carry out its plans.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton previously promised to hold a second referendum if he wins government at the next election based on constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples.

What will activists do now?

Prior to the referendum, several prominent activists supporting a Yes vote, including Marcia Langton and Noel Pearson, had indicated that they intended to withdraw from public life following the No vote.

One of the organizers of the Uluru Dialogue, Professor Megan Davis and Bibi Pat Anderson, have worked on the referendum council, the referendum working group and the Uluru Statement from the Heart for almost a decade.

They have not announced what their next steps will be, or whether they will be involved in advancing the Makarrata commission.

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