The Voice to Referendum nears, but some Chinese voters say they are 'clueless'. Here is why

With less than two weeks to go until the Voice referendum, some multicultural community members say they have not been given enough information to make a decision.

Many members of Australia’s multicultural communities are confused about whether to vote Yes or No on 14 October.

Members of the Australian-Chinese community, for instance, said they know “very little” about this important event that is said to be “historic” for the country and “have not been given enough information to make a decision.”

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) data shows that 17.6 million Australians are enrolled to vote for the 2023 referendum, the largest enrolment in history.

Many of them are from culturally-diverse communities.

In the 2021 census, about 1.39 million Australian residents claimed Chinese ancestry, representing 5.5 per cent of the total population.

Tasmania-resident Donna is one of those voters who finds herself “clueless” about the upcoming referendum.

I’ve seen some fliers about the Voice to Parliament Referendum, but I don't know much about it.

Donna, voter in Tasmania

“I don’t really know what a Yes or No vote would do for the Aboriginal people and how it would affect us as Australians,” she added.

Early voting has begun in Australia as well as overseas for eligible voters.

Tasmania-resident Donna finds herself “clueless” about the upcoming referendum. Source: SBS / Tianyuan Qu

‘Inadequate’ information for CALD community

Donna is not alone in the culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community reporting a lack of knowledge about the Voice.

Li Yang, also from Tasmania, told SBS Chinese that she “totally has no idea” about the Voice except that she heard on the radio that it was happening.

“I think people who are aware of this [the Voice] will notice that there are reports about it, but for people who are completely new to this, it's harder to notice,” Ms Yang said.

The information I have got is not enough for me to decide to vote Yes or No.

Li Yang, Hobart

Cantonese speaker Mr Zeng, who lives in Melbourne, also said that he has limited knowledge about the upcoming referendum.

All I know is that this referendum is relevant to the Indigenous people, but I don’t know exactly what is being discussed.

Mr Zeng, voter in Melbourne

Cantonese speaker Mr Zeng said that he has limited knowledge about the upcoming referendum. Source: SBS

Although campaign messages about the referendum have bombarded all major social media platforms over the past few months, both Ms Yang and Donna believed it is “inadequate” for the multicultural community.

“As a national referendum, the government should have stepped up its campaign amongst multicultural groups,” Ms Yang said.

“Our multicultural community’s access to information about the referendum is limited if it is only advocated on mainstream platforms like Facebook or radio, which are less used within our community.”

Some CALD community members believe that the Voice campaign among multicultural groups should have been strengthened. Credit: William West/AFP

Seeking in-language information

A spokesperson for the AEC told SBS Chinese that the information about the referendum has been translated into 34 languages on its website to help people from CALD backgrounds understand the process.

The AEC provides an interpreter service for voters who require information in a language other than English when they come to vote at a polling station.

However, for some CALD members, this is insufficient.

“I know some information is available on the official websites, but I don’t have the drive to go hunting for it,” Donna told SBS Chinese.

Qi Li, a multicultural advocate, said that people get English flyers in their mailboxes but can only access information in their language on the AEC website, which limits the audience for this information.

“I have seen that there is quite a bit of information on the AEC website, and they have dedicated some resources to translation too,” Ms Li said.

But we will find it easier if we are contacted and given the information.

Qi Li, multicultural advocate

Multicultural advocate Qi Li said it's harder for voters to actively seek in-language information on the AEC website. Credit: Qi Li

Insufficient understanding brings misinformation

Members of Australia’s multicultural community have told SBS Chinese that those who find it difficult to obtain information from official sources, may turn to Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat, but most of the information there is not fact-checked.

“There is a lot of misinformation circulating on Chinese social media and is constantly being amplified and distorted as it spreads,” Jing Qi, a senior lecturer at the Social Equity Research Centre at RMIT University told SBS Chinese.

She added that some posts contain partial facts and also make generalisations.

There are also ambiguities in the translation of English into Chinese, resulting the dissemination of misinformation, Ms Qi adds.

She explains by giving an example.

“The phrase ‘Aboriginal mobs’ originally meant Aboriginal communities. But it’s been translated [into Chinese] by some media outlets as ‘Aboriginal baotu (Mandarin for thugs)’,” Ms Qi says.

Misinformation makes decision-making more difficult for voters... and even misleads people while making a choice.

Jing Qi, senior lecturer at RMIT University

Lack of understanding

While some are confused, others are trying to get clarity.

As the discussion on the referendum heats up, history teacher Samuel Sun is taking to Chinese social media platforms to introduce Aboriginal history to the Mandarin-speaking community.

He graduated with a degree in history and currently works at a secondary school in Sydney.

Samuel Sun addresses the knowledge gap about the referendum amongst multicultural communities by posting educational information online. Credit: Samuel Sun

“I think there is a lack of information about Aboriginal people on Chinese social media. You can hardly see relevant information, or you will see some inaccurate information.”

“I think my expertise is well-suited to imparting the information,” Mr Sun added.

He said he collated and translated the lecture notes from his class into Chinese and then posted them online.

I want people to have a better understanding of Aboriginal history and why the government initiated this referendum.

Samuel Sun, history teacher in a Sydney school

"The posts got a surprisingly high number of clicks and I’ve received comments asking me to keep updating," he added.

While Mr Sun is regularly updating his Chinese social media posts, Ms Li is also busy organising and attending discussions on the Voice within the CALD community.

“I think attending events like this to interact with the local language community is an easier way to get information,” she told SBS Chinese from a discussion forum that she organised in Hobart last weekend.

“If you read information on your own, you tend to get lost. Only when you are informed can you make a wise choice,” Ms Li concluded.