On October 14, Australia will hold a referendum on changing the constitution to strengthen the political influence of indigenous peoples.
The current constitution from 1901 does not mention the original inhabitants – aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. They make up around 900,000 of the country’s 25 million inhabitants and today they generally have a shorter life expectancy, are overrepresented in prisons and have a lower proportion with higher education than the rest of the country.
– I ask all Australians to vote yes, says the country’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The issue is divisive
Should the Yes side win, an indigenous body without political power would be established to advise Australia’s parliament. Exactly how it will be designed is still unclear as that work will only begin after a possible yes in the vote.
The question splits both the different political sides, with Labor in power saying yes, while the opposition Liberals saying no. Even among the indigenous people, there are divisions where some think this is not enough and are therefore considering voting against it.
– It looks like a majority wants The Vocie. But there are also those who think this is too little, that it is too late and also those who would rather have independence and land rights, says Sehlin Macneil who has done a lot of research on the indigenous peoples of Australia.
“Would be a huge setback”
However, she believes that it would be important if the answer is yes.
– A yes is extremely important because you have waited a very long time to be recognized.
A no would have major consequences.
– That would be a huge setback. Constitutional amendments do not happen often in Australia and most proposals are voted down so this is this generation’s opportunity to recognize indigenous peoples in the constitution, says Eirik Larsen, head of the Sami Council’s human rights department.
Watch the season premiere of 15 minutes from Sápmi on SVT2 on Saturday at 16:05 or on SVT Play.