A divided Australia will soon vote on the most significant referendum on Indigenous rights in 50 years

• Today, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced an October 14 date for a national referendum on whether to amend the Constitution to establish a new advisory body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• The Voice to Parliament has been toted as a vital step toward redressing Australia’s painful history of discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• This is why a referendum is needed – and why this particular one has been so fiercely debated for years.

Decades of efforts toward equality

• Only eight out of 44 previous referendums have passed in the country’s history.
• The last time Australia voted on a referendum dealing with Indigenous affairs was in 1967.
• But what it can tell us about 2023 is complicated

  The referendum passed by a huge margin.

• This act prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and access to public facilities, such as swimming pools, cinemas and shops.

The “yes” and “no” campaigns

• The “yes” campaign has declared it’s time for change, emphasising how governments have consistently failed First Nations communities across the country.
• They say better policy decisions result from local communities being heard on matters that affect them.
• Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, a DjabWurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara woman, has argued the Voice is a powerless advisory body.

The significance of the vote

• Internationally, other countries have attempted to create improved political participation and government accountability for Indigenous peoples.
• In New Zealand, for example, there is designated Māori representation in the parliament.
• In Canada, First Nations people have both “first-contact” treaties that were negotiated upon European arrival, as well as modern treaties.