Australian vote to give Indigenous peoples a voice to parliament fails
On Saturday, Australians rejected a constitutional amendment that would have acknowledged the nation's Indigenous peoples and given them access to a parliamentary advisory body, or "Voice," in addition to other provisions.
Even though surveys had projected the outcome, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were devastated because they considered the referendum a chance for Australia to move past its racist and colonial history.
Purposefully written as a "modest proposal," the Voice would have advised Parliament on matters affecting Indigenous peoples, such as housing, health care, and employment. Still, it would not have had the authority to veto legislation.
Instead, the opposition's use of the catchphrase "If you don't know, vote no" and assertions that the plan was divisive, as well as focused social media messages that were occasionally inaccurate or untrue, appeared to have been successful in arousing concerns about the proposal's effects.
The loss was a blow to the center-left Labor administration and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who made the referendum a top goal after taking office last year.
But in Australia, passing a referendum takes a lot of work. They need what is known as a "double majority" – a majority of votes cast nationally and in at least four of Australia's six states.
It seemed improbable that the Yes movement would win in any state.
At first, surveys indicated that about two-thirds of Australians agreed with the concept of an Indigenous "Voice to Parliament." However, commentators claim that following a disappointing showing in the 2022 election, leaders of the conservative alliance saw a chance to undermine Albanese's support and reclaim ground.
According to Paul Williams, a political scientist at Griffith University in Brisbane, "It was done and dusted from that point."
"People are not particularly interested in helping others who might be lower on the ladder," he claimed. "When people can't pay their rent, find a place to live, schedule their operation, or choose between feeding their kids and getting their medication."
Indigenous people have been present in Australia for over 65,000 years, but their way of life was severely harmed when the British came in 1788.
Australia has never signed a treaty recognizing the sovereignty of its First Nations people, in contrast to other countries the British colonized, including the United States, Canada, and New Zealand.
Although the nation has started to address its racist past, notably by making some reparations, it has had difficulty "closing the gap" or bridging the difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
For decades, Australian Aboriginals have battled for more rights. The federal government counted and legally recognized them in a victorious vote in 1967.