Australians began voting earlier this week for a historic referendum on Aboriginal rights that would give them a “voice” in Parliament.
Voting began across much of Australia on Tuesday, allowing those who were unable to vote in the Oct. 14 referendum to vote on a reform that would recognize Indigenous peoples in the constitution for the first time.
The proposal, called ‘The Voice’, would also give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples the right to be consulted in Parliament on policies affecting them.
But polls suggest a minority of voters support the reform.
Activists from both sides hand out leaflets outside a polling station in central Sydney. A reform advocate wrote “Yes” in chalk on the sidewalk.
“I want to pay tribute to the first Australians,” says Karen Wyatt, 59.
Trevor Veenson, a 36-year-old nurse, will vote no. “For me it’s divisive, it’s causing more problems than necessary,” he told AFP.
The “no” supporters believe the reform will lead to additional bureaucracy and give privileges to Aboriginal people.
Polling stations opened on Tuesday in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory of Canberra. In the rest of the country they had opened the day before.
According to recent polls, just over 40% of voters are in favor of “yes”, while around 60% are in the “no” camp. A Guardian Essential poll published on Tuesday shows the trend towards a “yes” vote is increasing, but still remains in the minority.
Librarian Yasmin Tadich, 50, hopes for a “basic impulse” for reforms.
“It is time to recognize the world’s oldest culture (…) We must welcome and value First Nations indigenous peoples.”
Australian Aborigines, whose ancestors have lived on the continent for at least 60,000 years, make up less than 4% of the population.
Statistically speaking, they have shorter and poorer lives than their compatriots, a simpler education and a much higher risk of ending up in prison.