That’s a “no”. Australians clearly rejected this Saturday a reform of Aboriginal rights, submitted by referendum, at the end of an acrimonious campaign which deepened racial divisions in the continental country.
After counting the votes of three-quarters of the country’s polling stations, it appears that 55% of voters voted “no” to the text which proposed to recognize in the Constitution the Aborigines as the first inhabitants of the island-continent and of give them a specific “voice”.
3.8% of the Australian population
The plan called for the creation of an advisory council – nicknamed “The Voice” – to Parliament and government to advise on laws and public policies that affect indigenous, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, which represent 984,000 people. , or 3.8% of the Australian population.
Initially largely in the majority, the camp in favor of changing the 1901 Constitution has continued to lose ground in recent months, notably due to the campaign led by the conservative opposition, led by the former Minister of Defense Peter Dutton. For the conservative camp, the reform constituted constitutional tinkering and would have created divisions within society, by creating a distinction in citizenship.
An avalanche of racist comments and misinformation
The campaign led to an avalanche of racist comments on online media. False information has also circulated, some of which claims that property titles could be called into question or that reparations would have to be paid if the reform passes.
For the supporters of “The Voice”, this reform was to help heal the still raw wounds of a past of colonization and racial repression. Today, more than 200 years after British colonization, indigenous Australians, whose ancestors have lived on the continent for at least 60,000 years, have the same rights as other citizens, but they still suffer from severe inequalities.