Voting in the 2023 Referendum
7 September 2023
On 14 October 2023, Australians will be asked to vote in a referendum to alter the Constitution.
The Australian Embassy in Vienna will be an in-person voting centre and postal vote collection centre.
To be eligible to vote, you must be enrolled. Please ensure that your enrolment details are up to date at the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website (link is external).
In-person voting will be held at the Embassy in Vienna from 2-6 October and 9-13 October between 10am-12pm and 1pm-4pm. To enter the Embassy you must show photo ID and submit to security screening. Do not bring luggage larger than a standard backpack and do not take photographs of or inside the Embassy.
It is not possible to vote in-person at the Consulates in Budapest, Ljubljana or Sarajevo. Australians unable to vote in-person, can apply for a postal vote (link is external). Postal vote packs will be sent to you from Australia by courier, so you are encouraged to apply as early as possible. The latest date to request a postal vote is 6pm, Wednesday 11 October 2023 local time.
You can mail your postal vote to the Embassy (Gertrude-Froehlich-Sandner Str. 2, 1100 Vienna) or you can drop it off yourself. Postal votes should arrive at the Embassy no later than 4pm, Friday 13 October 2023. Alternatively, you can return your postal vote directly to the AEC in Australia. Postal votes must be received by the AEC no later than Friday 27 October 2023.
It is not compulsory to vote if you are not in Australia at the time of the referendum. If you will be overseas at the time and unable to vote, you can advise the AEC by completing and returning the Overseas Notification Form.
Additional information on the referendum and voting is available from the AEC website and Smartraveller.
General Information on voting while overseas:
- Smartraveller - Voting overseas advice
- Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) – General information on Australian elections
- AEC – Overseas enrolment
- AEC – Overseas voting
- Electoral Council of Australia & New Zealand – Find your local electoral commission