Australia voted on Saturday on a referendum about changing the constitution for better political representation of Indigenous people. However, intense debates surrounding the issue have created divisions in society and among Indigenous communities themselves, in which some stress the new law would be deficient in providing appropriate recognition.
Update October 16: Australians, by more than 60% of ballots, voted “No” in the referendum. The result was the same in all states. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accepted the responsibility “for the decisions that [he has] taken.”
A referendum takes place in Australia on October 14 on the possibility of enshrining in the constitution a procedure allowing Indigenous people to have more control over policies that directly or indirectly involve them. This mechanism would be called the Voice To Parliament.
Voters will be asked if they agree to change the constitution “to recognize the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.”
If Australians say yes, the constitution will have to be rewritten to ensure that the Voice To Parliament can make recommendations to the Parliament and the government on issues that affect them. The rights to representation of Indigenous people would be therefore sealed in the constitution.
Members of the Voice would be chosen by the Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders to represent them. Details on the exact form of the Voice still need to be defined.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were Australia’s first inhabitants. Australia’s Indigenous people now account for 980,000 individuals, or 3.8% of the population.
For Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, ensuring Indigenous people get a political voice has been one of his key promises since his election in May 2022. He argues that the victory of the Yes would help indigenous communities reduce the inequalities they suffer from.
Left-wing and Green parties aligned with the center-left Albanese government.
A referendum criticized by some Indigenous community leaders
But Lydia Thorpe, Independent Indigenous senator and former Green party member, is critical of the Voice proposal. She advocates for a treaty between the government and Indigenous people, arguing that the Voice Proposal is insufficient.
The senator uses New Zealand as an example, where they concluded a treaty with the Indigenous people that recognized their political rights. The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 and a founding document for New Zealand, ensured equal rights between Māori and British people. Seven parliamentary seats are currently dedicated exclusively to Māori senators.
Divisions have emerged within the Indigenous communities. Some urged to vote no to the referendum because the Voice doesn’t sufficiently carry their claims.
For Ben Abbatangelo, a native Gunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk journalist and writer interviewed by ABC News, “the idea that the people who stole this land and those who have directly benefited from it are now going to a referendum to think about recognizing the people who they stole it off, is insane.”
Liberal parties campaigned for the No, insisting that the modalities of the Voice are unclear. They are worried about the lack of official information the government gives. One of the slogans for their campaign was: “If you don’t know, vote no.”
As the referendum date approached, racist rhetoric against Indigenous people has been exacerbated, especially on social media. Senator Lydia Thorpe received racist remarks and even death threats. At a press conference, she argued that “people want to kill me out there. They don’t want my voice to be heard.”
Like federal or by-elections in Australia, the referendum is compulsory. All Australian citizens would have to go to one of the 7,000 polling stations, or they would receive a non-voter notice and would have to pay a fine.