On the 8^th of November of this year, a referendum was held to add an Indigenous Voice into Parliament. It is Compulsory that all Australian citizens vote at all State and Federal level elections and referendums, this is set out in the Electoral Act, in legislation. Once you are 18 years old you must register to vote, once registered it is legally enforced that you vote.

What if I am not a registered voter?

If you are an Australian citizen and over the age of 18 years, it is compulsory to register to vote. However, if you are over the age of 18 years and had yet registered to be a voter before the referendum, you will not suffer any consequences.

I Am A Registered Voter and Forgot to Vote?

If you neglected to vote in the referendum and were over 18 years and registered, you will receive a failure to vote notice either via email or paper mail and have to pay a fine.

If you receive a failure to vote notice, you can:

• Provide a valid and sufficient reason for not voting.
• Explain that you did in fact vote and provide relevant details.
• Pay a fine of one penalty unit at the time of the offence, or half this amount if the fine is paid before the due date

If you neglect to pay the fine, the fine may be referred to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry for further action. The fine is around $20 as it has been in previous years.