Australia Unveils Referendum on Indigenous Recognition and Inclusion

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Facts

  • Australian PM Anthony Albanese has unveiled details of a planned referendum that would change the country's constitution for the first time in almost 50 years. If approved, the vote would establish an "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice" — a formal body for Indigenous people to advise on legislation.1
  • Indigenous Australians, who represent about 3.2% of Australia's nearly 26M population, are not currently mentioned in the nation's constitution.2
  • On Thursday, the federal cabinet approved the language of a proposed amendment after a working group delivered its final proposal to Albanese on Wednesday. The language will be put to parliament next week and, if approved, voted on no later than June.3
  • Albanese claimed on Thursday that a body promoting Indigenous views to the government and parliament is needed to overcome systemic disadvantages experienced by generations of Indigenous people. Australians will be asked to recognize the First Peoples of the nation in a referendum later this year, between October and December.4
  • The referendum will answer the question: “A proposed law to alter the constitution to recognize the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”5
  • The specifics of the proposed Indigenous advisory body, including its membership and selection process, would be determined after a successful referendum. The group also released a set of design principles about its membership, including that it would be chosen by Indigenous people in a way that suits local communities and reflect geographic and gender diversity.6

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Reuters, 3Sky News, 4Al Jazeera, 5CNN, and 6Guardian

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Sky News. The time is now to hold a referendum on whether Australia should change its 122-year-old constitution and begin recognizing the First Peoples of Australia by establishing a consultative committee in parliament to provide non-binding advice on matters that affect Indigenous people. Australian history did not begin in 1788. Human beings have lived there for 60K years, making it the oldest continuous civilization on Earth. That should be a source of pride.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Rule of Law Education Centre. The argument against the "Voice" is a matter of principle: should we abandon the egalitarian nature of Australian democracy and give one racial group — and their descendants for all time — constitutionally guaranteed additional influence in all areas of public policy? The answer is no. The ideals of liberal democracy that emerged in revolutionary America and France must be defended.

Predictions