Australia Unveils Referendum To Recognise Indigenous People

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has outlined details of a proposed referendum to be held later this year.

The referendum is aimed at giving recognition in the constitution to the nation’s Indigenous people.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who represent about 3.8 per cent of Australia’s population, are currently not mentioned in the constitution.

For 122 years, Australia’s founding document has failed to recognise Indigenous communities and their more than 65,000 years of continuous connection to the land.

The referendum, which is to be held between October and December will seek to enshrine in the constitution recognition of Indigenous people through the establishment of a consultative committee to parliament called the “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice”.

Albanese said on Thursday that such a body promoting Indigenous views to the government and parliament was needed to overcome systemic disadvantage experienced by generations of Indigenous people.

He said; “We urgently need better outcomes because it’s not good enough where we’re at in 2023.

“On every measure, there is a gap between the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the national average.

Australia’s constitution came into effect in 1901 and has never acknowledged the Indigenous population as the country’s original inhabitants.