The Australian Senate gave, Monday, June 19, the green light to the organization of a historic referendum aimed at giving a “voice” to the Aborigines in Parliament, a project which divides the country. This law, approved by 52 votes against 19, will allow the Labor Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, to soon set a date for the referendum aimed at revising the Constitution.
Mr Albanese’s government believes Australians have the opportunity to redress centuries of injustice against Aboriginal people and give them a voice in decision-making. The referendum will be a watershed moment for the country, said Indigenous Minister Linda Burney, an Aboriginal leader. “I feel very moved”she told ABC.
If passed, Australian Aborigines, whose ancestors have lived on the continent for at least sixty thousand years, will have a constitutional right to be consulted by the government about laws impacting their communities. The approximately 900,000 people who identify as Aboriginal, out of Australia’s 25 million people, will be represented through an advisory body in Parliament.
“It’s about our identity as a nation”said Mr. Albanese, who welcomed the adoption of the project in the Senate. “Today, our Senate said yes to the organization of a referendum, greeted Labour. (…) Now the people of Australia will have the opportunity to say yes to reconciliation and yes to constitutional recognition of first nations peoples. »
“Appease white guilt”
But the ‘voice in parliament’ debate has become increasingly acrimonious, with Conservative opposition leader Peter Dutton denouncing a racial division of the country. “It will have an Orwellian effect [qui verra] all Australians [être] equal, but some Australians [être] more equal than others”he said earlier this year.
The project is not unanimous among Aboriginal Australians either. For Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, a prominent Indigenous activist, it’s just about creating a “powerless advisory body”. “That’s what it’s all about: assuaging white guilt in this country”she lamented on Monday.
For more than a century, Aboriginal people were not considered full citizens and, although their rights are now enshrined in law, deep inequalities remain. This minority faces more difficult living conditions, with less access to health care and education, lower life expectancy, lower wages and a high rate of incarceration.
While early polls predicted most Australians would vote in favor of the plan, recent surveys show declining support as the political debate heats up. Indigenous rights advocate Pat Anderson called for more ” maturity “ in the debates. “The Australian people will decide what kind of country we are, what we stand forshe said. What are our values ? Who are we ? This is what we will be voting on soon. »