Australia sets October date for historic vote on Indigenous recognition
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The six-week campaign kicked off on Wednesday Prime Minister Albanese urges Australians to vote 'Yes' SYDNEY, August 30 - Australians will vote on October 14 whether they want to change the constitution to recognize Aboriginals and Torres Strait islanders, a defining moment in the country's fight for indigenous rights. "October 14 is our time...this is our chance," Albanese told the cheering crowd. "This is a moment that speaks to the best of our Australian character. For Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, it's been a marathon. Australians now face a six-week campaign before voting in referendum and will be asked whether they support changing constitution to include "Voice of Parliament", an Indigenous committee that advise federal parliament on issues affecting Aboriginals and Torres Strait. island people. Any amendment to the Australian constitution requires a national referendum. Compared to many other developed countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, EU countries and the USA, it lags globally in relations with its Indigenous peoples. It has no dealings with Indigenous peoples, who make up about 3.2% of its population of approximately 26 million and fall below national averages in most socio-economic measures. Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander people are not mentioned in the Australian constitution, despite having lived on this land for over 65,000 years. Pat Anderson, an Aboriginal woman leading the change campaign, said the majority of Aboriginal people support Voice of Parliament because they know it will improve outcomes. "From now until day of referendum, ask everyone to remember as First Nations Peoples we know what works best for our communities, and believe that Voice will ultimately be step will improve lives of our peoples," he said in a statement. Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, leader of the opposition Liberal party responsible for Indigenous issues, said Voice of Parliament was an "elite proposal" to divide the country. "This is the old divide and rule rule that I can't stand," he said at a televised press conference. DIVISORY DISCUSSION The government has invested significant political capital into success of the referendum, and leading sports rules, large corporations, faith-based groups and welfare groups support campaign. [15]A Yes23 volunteer holding a flyer talking to passengers about the Voice of Parliament referendum to be held on 30 August 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. But public debate on the issue has been divisive, according to opinion polls, and support for the proposal has dwindled in recent months. Supporters argue that voting yes will help mend strained ties with the Aboriginal community unite the nation, and that visory body will help prioritize Indigenous health, education, employment housing. But some opponents argue that this move will divide Australians along racial lines and put excessive force on the natives' bodies. Others have described the Voice as a symbolic and toothless body. The plans