The indigenous peoples in Australia the most disadvantaged group is i the country and experiences, among other things, discrimination in work, healthcare and the legal system. A referendum is to be held later this year in which the population will vote for or against securing the Aboriginal and Tof the Orressund Islanders political influence in parliament.
Prime Minister of Australia Anthony albanese announced at the end of March that the country will hold a referendum sometime between October and December this year. Then the people of Australia will vote to change the constitution to recognize the indigenous peoples of the country and give them a "own voice" in the parliament.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander indigenous groups make up approx 3,8 percent of Australia's population, and they have lived and farmed the land for over 65 years. Even so, they are not mentioned in the current 000-year-old constitution. The indigenous peoples of Australia have been oppressed and disadvantaged since colonialism. First during the 1960s Indigenous peoples were recognized as part of Australia's population and they were given, among other things, the right to vote. But discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples still characterizes Australian society. Several measurements show large gaps between the groups' living conditions compared to the national average.
- A 10-year gap in life expectancy, double the suicide rate, tragic levels of child mortality and disease, a massive over-representation in prison and deaths in custody, explained Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, during a press conference in March regarding the referendum.
A yes to an amendment to the constitution will mean the creation of indigenous peoples "own voice", which will act as an advisory body where formal recommendations and proposals concerning indigenous peoples can be made to the government. Parliament will also be able to legislate in accordance with these questions and recommendations.
- If not now - when? We have been talking about recognizing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the constitution for decades – now is the chance to do it, said Australia's Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney, during the press conference on the referendum.
Amending the over 100 year old constitution has so far been a challenging task in Australia where only 8 out of 44 referendums has been voted through. The opposition parties to the current government are divided on the issue of this year's referendum. The liberal right-wing party has expressed concern about the yet-to-be-known consequences of an "own vote" for indigenous peoples, while the centre-right party has said it will vote no in the vote and is urging its followers to do the same.
In Australia, voting is compulsory – meaning that all citizens must vote in elections. Not voting results in a smaller fine. According to opinion polls, a narrow majority is currently in favor of the constitutional amendment. Att the proposal lacks concrete details and that the indigenous population would get too much political power are examples of reasons why a large part of the population thinks vote no to the proposal. Whether indigenous peoples will be recognized through strengthened political representation remains to be seen.
- The 2023 referendum is the best chance we've ever had to create structural changes that will provide better conditions for Indigenous people, said Senator Patrick Dodson, during the same press conference.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Around 980 people belong to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander indigenous groups. The latter are the inhabitants of the Torres Strait Islands, consisting of about 000 people.
- Britain colonized Australia in the late 1700th century, and by the 1920s the indigenous population had been reduced by several hundred thousand due to violent persecution.
- In the middle of the 1900th century, the authorities invested in "adapting the aborigines". It meant that the indigenous people were denied their traditional way of life in order to be incorporated into "modern society". Thousands of children were stolen from their parents and placed in institutions where they were reeducated and subjected to both physical and psychological violence. These children, who are called the lost generation, still suffers badly from this trauma, which has, however, been increasingly noticed.
- It was not until 1967 that indigenous peoples were granted the right to citizenship and the right to vote, and in 1999 parliament adopted a declaration of "deep and sincere regret" for past injustices against the aborigines. Today, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are still the most disadvantaged groups in the country from every point of view.
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