Misinformation and Disinformation about the Referendum on "The Voice". by

vanessacarbone1 — 2025-09-10 06:17:51 UTC

Keywords from the no campaign included, for example, “division”, “expensive”, “bureaucratic”, “Marxist”, “globalist” and “Trojan”.

mpickard1_1 — 2025-09-22 06:19:53 UTC

Australians will lose ownership of homes.

The voice has no power to raise taxes; it is an advisory body only. Not even the Senate can raise taxes without the House of Representative’s approval.

2025-09-22 06:22:05 UTC

Most First Nations people don’t want the Voice.

The best available data shows that most First Nations people do support the Voice. Based on polls conducted in January and March this year, around 80% of First Nations people are voting ‘Yes’. They want things to change. Those claiming that First Nations communities don’t want this are politicians, who are using this debate for their own ends. An obvious example is the Leader of the Opposition, who famously walked out of the apology to the Stolen Generations. Others who are pushing this argument include media barons who sell newspapers by creating division and controversy.

2025-09-22 06:22:27 UTC

Some people claimed that the Voice would give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the power to change laws or control the government.

2025-09-22 06:22:41 UTC

When voting you have to write yes or no not ticking the box or it will not be accepted. Confusing voters and causing invalid votes.

2025-09-22 06:23:03 UTC

False claims spread that the Voice could veto laws or control Parliament, when it was only an advisory body.

2025-09-22 06:23:28 UTC

“There will be more than one question in the referendum — designed to trick voters”

False. The referendum was for one question only: whether Australians agree to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as First Peoples by establishing a Voice to Parliament in the Constitution.

2025-09-22 06:23:42 UTC

Voice referendum is the false claim that it would allow the government to take away people’s private property, when in fact the Voice was only an advisory body with no power to do that.

2025-09-22 06:25:20 UTC

The provision of pencils at polling places by the AEC is part of a plan by the AEC, or officers of the AEC, to change the referendum result by rubbing out votes.

2025-09-22 06:25:42 UTC

The AEC (Australian Electoral Commission) was “rigging” the referendum by favouring the Yes side, or using postal votes (or pencils) to manipulate outcomes - disinformation

2025-09-22 06:25:45 UTC

"The Voice will result in “apartheid” or racial separation"

Some opponents claimed it would divide Australians by race, give Indigenous people special rights over others.

2025-09-22 06:25:50 UTC

The Referendum with be voluntary, like the marriage law postal survey

2025-09-22 06:27:40 UTC

Myth: postal voting was insecure and subject to manipulation, particuarky citing "stacks" of postal votes appearing at 2am to "rig" the result

Truth: the AEC explained postal voting is subject to multiple verification steps, scrutineers, and secure counting procedures

Myth: pencils provided at polling stattions were used by the AEC to rub out votes

truth: The AEC clarified that pencils are used for practical reasons and votes do not get rubbed out

Myth: Excessive Indigenous funding

truth: Misquoted, outdated data used out of context