The history of Australia’s indigenous people begins 65,000 years ago – but it wasn’t until 1967 that they were even granted civil rights. The road to more rights is still a long one.
A constitutional amendment could soon give Aboriginal people a vote in Parliament for the first time after hundreds of years of discrimination. On Monday, the Senate gave the green light for a corresponding referendum, which now has to be held within six months. Observers expect October as a possible date.
At the end of May, the House of Representatives voted by a large majority in favor of the much-discussed referendum entitled “Voice to Parliament”. The question at stake is whether, in the future, a body of indigenous Australians will advise the government on issues affecting indigenous people. Members should be nominated by Aboriginal officials and not by the government.
After the vote, applause broke out in the Senate. The Minister for Indigenous Australia, Linda Burney, said the survey would be about finally recognizing the 65,000-year-old history of the Aborigines in the constitution. “Indigenous Australians have consistently fared worse than non-Indigenous Australians for far too long,” she said. “It’s a broken system.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has been driving the referendum since winning the May 2022 election, said: “I say to my fellow Australians: parliaments make laws, but it is people who make history. This is your time, your chance to be part of history be.”
The country is divided
Of the approximately 26 million Australians, almost one million are Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders – as the indigenous people of the islands of the same name are called. The country is very divided on the issue of the referendum. In addition, a “double” majority is required for a constitutional amendment: not only at the national level must more yes votes than no votes be achieved – a majority of the six states and territories must also vote in favor of it, i.e. at least four.
The government in Canberra is currently trying to approach and reconcile with the indigenous people on various levels. The world’s largest sand island, Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland, was officially renamed just under two weeks ago. She now goes back to her original name, K’gari (pronounced Garrie). The word means paradise in the language of the Butchulla people.
However, large sections of the white majority continue to exclude the indigenous population, even though they have settled the country for tens of thousands of years. The indigenous people are not mentioned in the country’s constitution, passed in 1901. They were only granted civil rights in 1967.
After the arrival of the First Fleet from Britain in 1788 and the colonization that followed, Aboriginal children were snatched from their parents for many decades. The “stolen generation” had to grow up in homes or with white families.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
