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Mahesh

19/10/23 11:02 AM IST

Australia’s referendum to include an Indigenous ‘Voice’ in its Constitution

In News
  • A bill passed by the Australian Parliament recently has set the stage for a historic referendum on constitutional recognition for the Indigenous people.
Indigenous people
  • The Australian government defines Indigenous people as those who “are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent; identify as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin; and are accepted as such in the communities in which they live or have lived.”
  • The Torres Strait Islands are now part of the Australian state of Queensland.
  • Aboriginal Australians are believed to have inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years, long before British colonisation of Australia in the 18th century.
  • “Aboriginal people are known to have occupied mainland Australia for at least 65,000 years.
Reasons for Referendum
  • The ‘First Fleet’ of 11 ships with over a thousand prisoners arrived in Australia in 1787, establishing the first European settlements on the continent.
  • Over 1.5 lakh convicts were transported to Australia by the end of 1868.
  • The years that followed were devastating for Aboriginal people.
  • It is estimated that the Indigenous population reduced by 90% between 1788 and 1900 due to a combination of factors.
  • These included epidemic diseases, displacement from traditional lands, violent conflict with colonisers and slave-like work conditions.
  • According to the Report of National Inquiry into Racist Violence in Australia of 1991, approximately 20,000 Aboriginal people were killed due to colonial violence as they resisted the infringement of their land rights and its impact on their cultures and communities.
  • Aboriginal women also experienced high levels of sexual abuse during the period.
  • “On pastoral stations, Aboriginal women were preyed on by any and every white man whose whim it was to have a piece of ‘black velvet’ wherever and whenever they pleased,”.
  • Indigenous people have experienced widespread socio-economic disadvantage, inequality and discrimination for years.
  • They earn lower average incomes than non-Indigenous Australians, and their life expectancy is about eight years lower than the national average.
  • Suicide rates are twice as high. They are over-represented in prisons and custodial deaths.
  • Indigenous women experience family violence at rates higher than other women in the country.
Why referendum is needed?
  • Changing the Constitution is a complex procedure in Australia.
  • Parliament is not empowered to alter the document on its own even though a few provisions that use phrases such as ‘until the Parliament otherwise provides’ allow modification and alterations in the initial provision.
  • In case of an alteration, however, a majority vote from the Commonwealth’s electors and electors in the majority of the States in a referendum is required.
  • One of the two Houses has to first introduce a proposal.
  • The Bill should pass in both Houses with an absolute majority after which the government clears it. Once passed, the legislation is taken to the public for a national vote.
Proposal
  • The law proposes to add a new chapter on the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution.
  • It includes provisions to set up a bodycalled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice that will advise Parliament and the government on matters affecting Indigenous peoples.
  • The Voice will be selected by Indigenous communities and not the government.
  • Notably, the Voice will not have veto power, thus, its advice will be non-binding.
  • Australia has seen 44 proposals for constitutional change in 19 referendums since independence in 1901, and only eight of these have been approved.
  • The 2023 referendum will be the first since 1999 when Australians rejected the establishment of a republic.
  • As per constitutional provisions, voting must happen within a timeframe not less than two or more than six months after its passage in Parliament.
  • The vote is likely to take place between October and December.
  • In Australia, voting is compulsory for citizens aged 18 years and above.
Source- The Hindu

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