Prime minister Anthony Albanese has vowed that the failure of the Voice referendum will not "define us or divide us" as a nation.
The referendum delivered a no to a proposal to enshrine an Indigenous advisory body and recognising First Nations peoples in the Constitution this evening.
Although the official result is still days away from being announced by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), the likelihood of the country seeing the required double majority for the referendum to pass is impossible.
Speaking from Parliament House in Canberra, Albanese pledged his government will remain committed to writing the next chapter in reconciliation with First Nations people.
"Our government will continue to seek better outcomes for Indigenous Australians and their children and generations to come," Albanese said.
"Maintain your hope and know that you are loved.
"The historic fact that Australia's story is 65,000 years old remains a source of national pride and remains a fact."
Albanese said while it was not the result he had hoped for he "respects" the decision made by Australia's voters.
"Just as the Uluru Statement from the Heart was an invitation extended with humility, grace and optimism for the future, tonight we must meet this result with the same grace and humility," he said.
In pictures: Australia votes on Voice to parliament referendum
"When you do the hard things, when you aim high, sometimes you fall short. And tonight we acknowledge, understand and respect that we have."
Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney said today "is a day of sadness" for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
"I know this outcome will be hard for some, but achieving progress is never easy, and progress doesn't always move in a straight line," she said in a tearful speech.
"There are breakthroughs and heartbreaks, but I am confident that because of this campaign and the millions of conversations it has sparked, the renewed generation of Indigenous leaders will emerge."
Addressing media a short time later, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said it was "the referendum Australia did not need to have".
"What we've seen tonight is Australians literally in their millions reject the prime minister's divisive referendum," he said.
"The prime minister clearly was not across the detail, and he refused to explain or answer reasonable questions from Australians.
"He has held the pen of this definitive chapter in our nation's history, and if he has any strength in his leadership, he must take responsibility for it."
Dutton used his speech to issue a message directly to Indigenous Australians.
"Like all Australians, some of you will have voted yes and some of you will have voted no. Those of you who voted yes will be hurting," he said.
"To Indigenous Australians contending with difficulty and disadvantage, I will do my utmost to lead with courage and to do with his right to implement the practical solutions required to improve outcomes and close the gap."
