After counting the votes from three quarters of the country’s polling stations, it appears that 55% of voters voted “no” to the text that proposes to recognize the Aborigines in the constitution as the first inhabitants of the island continent and to give them a certain ” Agree”.
The plan called for the creation of an advisory council – nicknamed “The Voice” – for parliament and government to advise on laws and public policies impacting Indigenous, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations , which includes 984,000 people or 3.8% of the Australian population.
“Tonight I want to acknowledge that this campaign has been a heavy burden for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. And this outcome will be very difficult to endure,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Distinction of citizenship
The camp, which advocated changing the 1901 constitution and initially represented a broad majority, has increasingly lost ground in recent months, particularly due to the campaign by the conservative opposition led by former defense minister Peter Dutton. For the conservative camp, the reform represented a falsification of the constitution and would have caused divisions within society by creating a distinction in citizenship.
The campaign led to an avalanche of racist comments in online media.
Misinformation also circulated, some of which claimed that property titles could be questioned or that reparations would have to be paid if the reform was passed.
Heal the wounds of colonization
For followers of “The Voice,” this reform should help heal the lingering wounds of a past of colonization and racial oppression.
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 still suffer serious inequalities.
Aboriginal leader Thomas Mayo has expressed his anger at those who campaigned for a “no” vote. “They lied to the Australians. This dishonesty should not be forgotten by the Australian people.” “This type of behavior should have consequences in our democracy, they shouldn’t get away with it.”
“How the world sees us”
Center-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was heavily involved in the election campaign, made a final appeal on Saturday to voters who did not hear him. “It’s about respect for Indigenous Australians. It’s about how we see ourselves as a nation, but also about how the world sees us,” he argued.