Australia on Saturday rejected a proposal to recognise Indigenous people in the constitution, in a major setback to the country’s efforts for reconciliation with its First Peoples.Australian broadcaster ABC projected that three states – New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia – would vote “No”.A successful referendum would require at least four of the six states to vote in favour, along with a national majority.Within a few minutes of the projection, advocates for constitutional change conceded defeat.Later unofficial – but uncontested – partial results found that more than 59% of voters would oppose the so-called Voice To Parliament initiative, roughly in line with the last polls before the vote.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who had campaigned for a “yes” vote in a campaign that revealed fault lines in Australian society on the issue, urged a divided nation to now come together in a “spirit of unity and healing.”He said defeat would be “very hard to bear” for the vast majority of Aboriginal Australians who had supported the motion.“From tomorrow we will continue to write the next chapter in that great Australian story. And we’ll write it together. And reconciliation must be a part of that chapter,” Albanese said.Millions vote across countryPolls closed on Saturday evening across the country.By the end of the referendum, almost 18 million people were expected to have cast their ballots as voting is compulsory in Australia.The referendum asked them to vote “Yes” or “No” on whether to establish a new Indigenous advisory body – known as the Voice to Parliament – that would be consulted about laws affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.Also Read: Ahead of a Referendum Key to Indigenous Rights, Australia is Divided“There is nothing, no cost to Australians showing kindness, thinking with their heart, as well as their head when they enter the polling booth … and voting ‘yes’,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had said on Friday.Referendums are difficult to pass in Australia as they require a majority of voters, as well as a majority of states, to succeed – although ultimately Saturday’s results looked set to be less closely contested than expected earlier in the campaign.Around 2 million postal votes will be counted for up to 13 days after the polls close on Saturday.Voice to Parliament’s critics pointed to unclear definition, powersIndigenous people account for 3.8% of Australia’s population.Supporters of the Voice proposal believe enshrining an Indigenous advisory body in the constitution would help address some of the problems they face, including a lower life expectancy and a far higher incarceration rate.The main campaign against the proposal has argued that the Voice would be divisive and that its powers have not been clearly defined.Meanwhile, some Indigenous opponents argue that the proposal does not go far enough, and have demanded a treaty instead.Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for at least 65,000 years and are considered one of the oldest living cultures in the world.This article was originally published on DW.
