Social media posts are pointing to a recent addition to the business register to claim the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to parliament has been certified as a private company.
This is false. The company in question is a small Sydney startup with no connection to the proposed advisory body.
One post (archived here) features a screenshot showing a listing for the private company called Indigenous Voice Pty Ltd on the Australian Business Register (ABR) website.
“GET A LOAD OF THIS, WILL YOU! TALK ABOUT RIGHT IN OUR FACES. THE VOICE IS A PRIVATE COMPANY…,” the caption says.
The claim has been spread widely on social media by other users here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Some posts here, here and here have described the voice as a “registered corporation.”
Indigenous Voice Pty Ltd is the name of a company registered with the ABR since June 2019. Its business name is Mob Voice.
It has also been registered as a propriety company since June 2019 with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, the company regulator.
According to its listing on the ASIC Register, it is based in the St Peters suburb of Sydney and its director is Matthew James Compton.
But a company representative confirmed to AAP FactCheck that it has no connection with the the proposed voice to parliament or any other political groups.
“Indigenous Voice Pty Ltd is neither affiliated with nor connected to the Australian government, the proposed ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice,’ or any political entities,” the representative said.
The company is not yet operating but intends to create a digital platform for Indigenous Australians. It is currently in the process of community consultation.
The company name doesn’t even match the title of the proposed advisory body, which as detailed in the proposed amendment to the constitution will be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
Even if the upcoming referendum is successful, the voice will not be able to register as a private company.
However, as with all federal government departments, executive or statutory agencies and statutory authorities, it would have to register for a government organisation ABN to meet any tax and superannuation obligations.
The Verdict
The claim that the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to parliament has been registered as a private company is false.
Indigenous Voice Pty Ltd has no connection to, and does not even share a name with, the proposed advisory body.
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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