Australia wants to change its Constitution to give a “voice” to the 900,000 Aborigines

The center-left Prime Minister made this announcement on Thursday, March 23, during a speech imbued with extremely rare emotion for a political leader. Anthony Albanian first explained what the question posed to Australian voters would consist of: Do you approve of the reform of the Constitution which creates a “voice” for the Aborigines? (In fact an advisory body so that they have a say in particular on the legislation which concerns them). Then his voice choked, touched with emotion as he added: “I was asked this morning if there were any circumstances that might prevent it from being put to a vote. The answer is no. Because not putting it to a vote.” He had to pause before answering, on the verge of tears and regaining his means: “Not putting this to a vote means conceding defeat. We’re going to go to the field, we’re going to get involved. My government is committed. We’re all in”!

Long-established racism

Anthony Albanese is touched by emotion because he knows it: it is a huge work of memory and introspection that is at stake. “It’s about knowing”said the Australian Prime Minister, “if we have the necessary confidence to assume our history”. The question is whether the 25 million Australians are ready to recognize that the 700,000 to 900,000 Aborigines have the same rights as everyone else, or even more since they were the first occupants of this land discovered by James Cook in 1788. They were chased off their land, denied their rights, targeted by structural racism. Hundreds of thousands of children have been torn from their families. And even today, they are victims of discrimination in access to health, education and justice. Two revealing figures: their life expectancy is 10 years lower than the national average, the incarceration rate of aboriginal minors is 24 times higher than the average.

Favorable polls

This referendum has a good chance of being adopted. The text must be officially presented in a few days and the vote could take place in September. Between 60 and 70% of Australians say they are in favor of the principle. But positive votes in referendums are rare in Australia, only seven in history. You also need a majority in four of the country’s six provinces, it’s a federal state. And then there are opponents to this reform: on the one hand, some of the aboriginal leaders (the country has 400 different tribes), they consider the text insufficient. On the other side, several liberal and conservative leaders who consider the rights granted to Aborigines too important. And then in the conservative camp we also fear that this referendum is the prelude to another, a vote on the establishment of a Republic to cut ties with the British Crown.