In Australia, the brutal past of colonization has left its marks. Even today, Aboriginal people bear the brunt of a system where inequalities are entrenched: over-representation in prisons, shorter life expectancy, low literacy… On the eve of a historic referendum aimed at giving, for the first time , a “voice” to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution, hope is drying up.
Hannah McGlade is from the Kurin Minang Noongar Aboriginal people of Western Australia. The human rights lawyer and member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues agreed to meet us in Fremantle, a suburb of Perth.
“The “round house” is a former prison where Aboriginal people were detained until the end of the 19th century.e century,” underlines Mme McGlade showing the Duty a building of light stones.
In the Indian Ocean opposite, about fifteen kilometers from the coast, is Rottnest Island. “The Noongar people were violently dispossessed of their land by the British and reduced to slavery. Those who resisted were incarcerated and sent to this prison island, where many died,” she says.
She also evokes the fate of Aboriginal children forcibly taken from their families to be “assimilated”, as were many Canadian Aboriginal children sent to residential schools.
When I was young, racism was uninhibited, which is less the case today. But the aborigines continue to be discriminated against, to be victims of inequality.
“There has been progress in recent years. When I was young, racism was uninhibited, which is less the case today. But the Aborigines continue to be discriminated against, to be victims of inequalities,” relates the woman who wants lasting change to take place and who places her hopes in particular in an imminent referendum.
A place in the Constitution?
On Saturday, nearly 18 million voters will have to vote – voting is compulsory in Australia – on a project commonly called “The Voice”. This aims to enshrine in the country’s Constitution the creation of an independent, permanent advisory body, which would become the “voice” of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Parliament.
“This body would have no decision-making power or ability to veto. It would be a platform for Aboriginal people to have their say on policies that affect them,” says Harry Hobbs, associate professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology Sydney.
It would also be the very first time that Aboriginal people would be mentioned in the Australian Constitution.
However, the chances of this happening seem slim. “To change the Constitution, you need a majority of votes in favor in the general population, but also in a majority of states,” says Mr. Hobbs. And just a few hours before the vote, this is not the scenario that is emerging.
Long leading the polls, the Yes camp has lost ground in recent months. According to the most recent survey from the firm Roy Morgan, a majority (51%) of Australians would be opposed to reopening the Constitution to recognize Aboriginal people, while 44% are in favor and 5% are still undecided. . And opposition to the measure dominates in five out of six states: only the state of Victoria has a majority of supporters of the reform.
“To date, there have been 44 attempts to amend the Constitution in Australia. It only worked eight times,” Mr. Hobbs points out. “This is the kind of opportunity that rarely comes around. If the referendum fails this time, there will not be another attempt for at least 20 or 30 years,” he estimates.
In practice, the Labor government of Anthony Albanese, which encourages the population to vote for this constitutional change, could establish “ The Voice » by a simple law. But the Australian Prime Minister has promised not to take this route if opponents of the measure win. “It would be very different anyway. Such a body could be defeated as soon as a new government was elected, which would not be the case if it were enshrined in the Constitution,” notes Mr. Hobbs.
Rooted inequalities
“All we are asking for is the creation of a constitutionally protected advisory group. There is nothing threatening about it,” argues Jack Beetson, director of the foundation. Literacy for Life, met at Parramatta Park, a suburb of Sydney. His organization promotes the teaching of reading and writing to Aboriginal adults who need it.
Coming from the Ngemba people of New South Wales, Mr Beetson believes that policies to reduce inequality can only be effective if they are developed with the people affected – which is precisely what ” The Voice “.
“Even today, Aboriginal people are over-represented in prison. And it’s a trend that’s getting worse,” he notes. While Aboriginal people make up just 3.8% of Australia’s total population, they represent almost a third (31.8%) of those in prison in the country.
Official data also shows that they have less access to adequate health care, underlines Mr. Beetson. Aboriginal people also have a lower average life expectancy than the rest of the population of Australia: it is almost 9 years lower for men, and 8 years lower for women.
For Jack Beetson, the development and autonomy of Aboriginal people requires, among other things, education: 40 to 70% of them suffer from a lack of literacy. “With the Literacy for Life foundation, we have carried out adult literacy campaigns, and the courses are given by tutors who are themselves from these communities. What we are seeing is a significant reduction in crime,” he notes with hope.
“It shows that Aboriginal people are best placed to define the policies that work for them. It is essential to include us” in these decisions, argues Mr. Beetson.
This report was financed thanks to the support of Transat International Journalism FundThe duty.