2023 Voice Referendum - Saturday 14 October 2023
A referendum to recognise the First Peoples of Australia in the Constitution by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023. The Australian Consulate-General in Guangzhou will be providing walk-in and postal vote collection services.
Voting and Eligibility:
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 Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) by completing an Overseas Notification Form. If you do not inform the AEC, they will write to you asking you to explain why you did not vote.
If you will be overseas at the time of the referendum and would like to vote, you will be able to do so by post or in person at the Australian Embassy in Beijing and Australian Consulates-General in Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Further information about overseas voting arrangements will be provided here and on the AEC website as soon as it is available. Postal vote packs will be sent from Australia, so you are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
To be eligible to vote, you must be enrolled. To enrol, check or update your enrolment details, visit https://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/overseas/index.htm.
Walk-in Voting and Collection of Mail-in Votes:
The Australian Consulate-General, Guangzhou (Level 12, Development Centre, No. 3 Linjiang Road, Zhujiang New City, Guangzhou) will be open for walk-in voting for enrolled voters and the collection of mail-in votes during business hours from Thursday 5 October to Friday 13 October 2023 from 9:00am to 4:00pm.
On voting day, Saturday 14 October 2023, we will open for voting from 09:00am to 4:30pm
** There is no need to make an online appointment for voting services.
** Please note: Notarial/passport services will not be available on Voting Day.
Updates and all the latest information on the referendum:
Visit the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website, or call the AEC on +61 2 6160 2600 (charges apply). You can also follow the AEC on Facebook and Twitter.
Travellers from China no longer required to undertake COVID-19 testing before travel to Australia
Australia’s pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirements for passengers arriving from the People’s Republic of China, including Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, will cease applying to flights that land in Australia at 12.01am on 11 March 2023.
Click here for the full announcement from The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care.
Updated Travel Advice - 29 August 2023
We've reviewed our advice for China. We haven't changed the level of our advice, exercise a high degree of caution. As previously advised, authorities have detained foreigners on the grounds of ‘endangering national security’. Australians may be at risk of arbitrary detention or harsh enforcement of local laws, including broadly defined National Security Laws.
Travel advice:
Exercise a high degree of caution in China overall.
Other levels apply in some areas.
Click here for Travel Advice.
Subscribe to get updates on our travel advice for China.
Click here to register for the Smartraveller subscription service and receive latest updates to out travel advice.
For Australians requiring urgent consular assistance, or those enquiring about or seeking assistance as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak:
24 hour Consular Support
+61 2 6261 3305 from overseas
1300 555 135 (within Australia)
+61 421 269 080 using SMS
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/consular-contact-form
Contact the Consulate during business hours
+86 20 3814 0111
Information for foreign passport holders on Medibank Private/ahm and other recent data breaches
Latitude Financial Services data breach - 13 April 2023
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is aware of a cyber incident impacting Latitude Financial Services.
Click Here for more Information and Frequently Asked Questions.
Appointments for passport and notarial services
Appointments are required for all passport and notarial services and must be booked via acggz.setmore.com.
Passport appointments are available Monday to Friday. Each passport applicant requires a separate appointment. Families will require separate appointments for each adult/child applicant. Appointments are not required for passport collection or for emergency consular/passport services.
Notarial services appointments are available Monday to Friday afternoons.
Please book your appointment as early as possible.
Australian Visa and Citizenship Applications
All Australian Visa and Citizenship questions must be directed to the Department of Home Affairs. Online enquiries can be submitted here.
The Department of Home Affairs (HA) are trialling a Digital Assistant to answer your visa and citizenship questions. The Digital Assistant will make it easier and faster for you to find what you need on their website. You can access the Digital Assistant from the Digital Assistant tab on the bottom right hand side of the screen on most Immigration and Citizenship pages.
Consulate-General Opening Hours
The Consulate-General will be open from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday except for public holidays.
Australians requiring advice or assistance from the consular section may call during business hours from 8:30 to 5:00 Monday to Friday.
Please note:
- Passport Applications: Monday-Friday 9:00 – 12:00, to make an appointment please click here.
- Notarial Services: Monday-Friday 14:00 – 16:00, to make an appointment please click here.
