Thousands Rally Across Australia in Support of Indigenous Reform

Facts

• Thousands gathered across Australia on Sunday to express support for a campaign to recognize the country's indigenous people in the constitution and to establish an 'Indigenous Voice to Parliament' advisory board. The demonstrations come ahead of a referendum later this year.¹
• Yes23, the group that organized more than 25 rallies nationwide, estimates that up to 25K people took to the streets in total, with about 3K assembling in Sydney.²
• This development comes as the ‘Yes’ campaign comes under pressure to ramp up efforts, after a recent poll indicated that support for the constitutional change was weakening.³
• Meanwhile, politicians currently assigned to advance the official ‘No’ case for the pamphlet — which will be sent to Australian households before the referendum — are set to hold their first meeting via phone call on Tuesday.⁴
• The ‘Yes’ camp has spent roughly A$400K on social media ads this year — more than a quarter of those costings covered the period June 21-27 alone. However, this amount is slightly lower than the amount spent by the 'No' campaign on Facebook ads so far.⁵
• While the vote could take place anytime after August 19, it is widely expected it will be held in October. The referendum will require a "double majority" to pass, meaning more than 50 percent of the national population and a majority in at least four out of six states must vote yes.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Reuters, ³The Sydney Morning Herald, ⁴Australian Financial Review, ⁵Guardian, and ⁶Archive.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Guardian. The upcoming referendum is the perfect opportunity for a multicultural, vibrant, and inclusive new Australia to prove that hate against the First Nations of Australia is no longer accepted in the country. Canberra can finally cast out the ghosts of an inglorious nation driven by conservatism and racism, instead enshrining indigenous Australians' right to be heard to by government.
• Right narrative, as provided by American Spectator. The Voice to Parliament is a dangerous proposal that, if passed, will permanently divide the Australian nation on the basis of race. Australians need only look at neighboring countries to understand the risks of approving such advisory body, as New Zealand's Waitangi Tribunal has been swiftly hijacked by social justice activists. There are other ways the government can go about improving rights for indigenous populations before undermining unity in the nation.

Predictions