Australians reject proposals to create an advisory body for indigenous people and kill all hopes of reconciliation

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Australians have voted against proposals to change their constitution to recognise a formal body for Indigenous people which would give advice on laws. The referendum (called Australia's Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum and also as The Voice referendum) which took place last Saturday asked voters whether they wanted to recognise their Indigenous people in their constitution, and whether they wanted to introduce an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

The proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament was meant to be a formal body for Indigenous Australians that would give advice to the Australian government on issues affecting Indigenous Australian communities.

Those who campaigned in favour of the proposals argued the vote was important for many Indigenous Australians who aren't currently recognised in Australia's 122-year-old constitution. The campaign against these proposals claimed that if implemented, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament would "permanently divide" Australia and unfairly give some Australians greater rights than others.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia are believed to have lived on the continent for around 60,000 years. If I had a say, I would have voted in favour of this proposal. Aboriginal Australians have been receiving the short end of the stick in Australia for many generations and this proposal would have compensated many past wrongs and made the playing field a bit more even. To be fair to the No campaign, the Australian Parliament currently has 11 Indigenous lawmakers who represent 4.8% of the total number of MPs, a slightly higher percentage than the Indigenous Australian population nationwide. However, these MPs represent specific constituencies/geographies and not necessarily common Indigenous interests.

Australia does not legally recognise Indigenous Australians in its constitution. It’s high time it did so.

Pictured - the Indigenous Australian flag.

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