Australians began voting early this week for a historic referendum on Aboriginal rights aimed at giving them a “voice” in Parliament.
Voting opened across much of Australia on Tuesday so those unavailable to vote in the Oct. 14 referendum can vote on reform that would recognize Indigenous people in the Constitution for the first time.
The proposal, called “The Voice”, would also give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the right to be consulted in Parliament on policies that affect them.
But polls indicate that a minority of voters support the reform.
Outside a polling station in central Sydney, activists from both sides hand out leaflets. A reform supporter wrote “yes” in chalk on the sidewalk.
“I want to give recognition to the first Australians,” says Karen Wyatt, 59.
Trevor Veenson, a 36-year-old nurse, will vote “no.” “For me, it divides, it causes more problems than necessary,” he told AFP.
The “no” supporters believe that the reform will add a layer of bureaucracy and that it will grant privileges to the Aborigines.
Polling stations opened on Tuesday in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory Canberra. They had opened the day before in the rest of the country.
According to recent polls, just over 40% of voters are in favor of “yes”, while around 60% are in the “no” camp. A Guardian Essential survey published Tuesday indicates that the trend toward a “yes” vote is growing, but remains in the minority.
Librarian Yasmin Tadich, 50, hopes there will be a “groundswell” for reform.
“It is time to recognize the oldest culture in the world (…) We must welcome and value the indigenous peoples of the First Nations.”
Australian Aborigines, whose ancestors have lived on the continent for at least 60,000 years, represent less than 4% of the population.
They statistically have shorter and poorer lives than their compatriots, a more basic education and are much more likely to end up in prison.