Australian Indigenous leaders called for a week of silence and reflection after rejection.
Voters walk past Vote 'Yes' and Vote 'No' signs at the Old Australian Parliament House, during The Voice referendum in Canberra, Australia, October 14, 2023.More than 60% of Australians voted “No” in the landmark referendum on Saturday, the first in almost a quarter of a century, that asked whether to alter the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people through the creation of an Indigenous advisory body, the “Voice to Parliament”.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people make up 3.8% of the 26 million population and have inhabited Australia for about 60,000 years but are not mentioned in the constitution and by most socio-economic measures are the most disadvantaged people in the country. “The referendum was a chance for newcomers to show a long-refused grace and gratitude and to acknowledge the brutal dispossession of our people underwrote their every advantage in this country,” the statement said.
One of the biggest reasons for the referendum loss, however, was the lack of bipartisan support, with leaders of the major conservative parties campaigning for a “No” vote.“Much will be asked of the role of racism and prejudice against Indigenous people in this result,” leaders said in the statement.
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