How to watch the referendum results
After months of bitter debate, Australians will cast their final votes in the Voice to Parliament referendum on Saturday October 14.
Voters across the nation will be asked if they say Yes or No to altering the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
Almost all of the major television stations will broadcast their own programs focusing on the referendum, below is what each of them have planned.
SKY NEWS
As Sky provides 24-hour news coverage, it will be providing live-updates of how voting takes place throughout the day.
“Join Tim Gilbert and Jaynie Seal from 6.00am AEDT for Weekend Edition, as Australians cast their vote,” the network said in a statement.
“Then, Peter Stefanovic hosts Weekend Live: Referendum Day from 10:00am, before Ashleigh Gillon leads us through the final hours of critical voting from 2:00pm.”
The channel’s more “in-depth” coverage anchored by Kieran Gilbert will begin at 5pm, with political editor Andrew Clennell and anchors Chris Kenny and Peta Credlin to join on a panel.
They will be joined by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, Nationals Leader David Littleproud, Indigenous affairs commentator Anthony Dillon, former Labor MP Stephen Conroy and co-convener of Liberals for Yes Sean Gordon.
ABC
The ABC is moving its traditional news slot to an earlier time of 5pm in order to start its rolling coverage from 5.30pm AEDT as live results flow in from across the country.
Aunty is promising its coverage will be “the most comprehensive” in the country.
The program will be anchored by Bridget Brennan, David Speers and Dan Bourchier who will be joined by chief election analyst Antony Green and Chief Political Correspondent Laura Tingle, who will give analysis of the results as they come in
Journalists Patricia Karvelas and Isabella Higgins will also add to the coverage, promising to look at “both sides of the vote”.
SBS AND NITV
Over the course of Saturday night, twin channels SBS and NITV will broadcast four hours of live news coverage as votes are counted.
SBS World News will hold its regular 6.30pm AEDT spot but presenter Anton Enus will be joined by Mudburra and Wagadagam woman Natalie Ahmat.
From 7.30pm, the channel will broadcast a two-hour live special of The Point: Australia Decides, to be presented by Wuthathi and Meriam man John Paul Janke and Whadjuk Noongar woman Narelda Jacobs.
They will be joined for discussion by a panel of guests including Professor Marcia Langton, Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, former Senator and Olympian Nova Peris, Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth, and Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer, and more.
The SBS World News team will then return for a late bulletin at 9.30pm, featuring the latest national news coverage.
CHANNEL 7
Channel 7 will broadcast a half-hour special of the first count starting from 7pm local time hosted by Michael Usher and with insight from Political Editor Mark Riley.
“He will be joined by leaders from both sides including federal Education Minister Jason Clare and Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie,” 7News said in a statement.
Programming will then return to its normal Saturday programming with regular live updates, followed by a “comprehensive bulletin live from 10pm with the result as it happens.”
Channel 7 will return for a “wrap up” of the Voice results at 9.50pm.
CHANNEL 9
Australia’s biggest commercial television news outlet will spend 30 minutes on a program dedicated to the Voice after its 6pm bulletin.
Peter Overton, Brooke Boney and the channel’s political editor Charles Croucher will lead the “special referendum coverage” from 7pm as vote results come in.
The channel will then switch over to sports coverage from 7.30pm before returning to another news break at 11pm.
