Australians look set to reject new provisions for Aboriginal people
Advocates of a constitutional “Voice” for Aboriginal people are facing defeat
AUSTRALIANS WERE united when they last voted in a referendum on indigenous rights in 1967. Over 90% agreed to remove a clause in their constitution that had long excluded Aboriginal people from national population counts, sending a message “that we would be recognised and that we would be able to enjoy equality”, recalls Tom Calma, a Kungarakan elder from Darwin. Another referendum concerning Australia’s relationship with its first people will be held on October 14th. This one poses a more complicated question—and Australians seem unlikely to support it.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Losing the Voice”
Asia September 30th 2023
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- South Korea’s opposition leader narrowly avoids arrest
- Australians look set to reject new provisions for Aboriginal people
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- India is testing America’s friendship
From the September 30th 2023 edition
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