Aboriginal rights referendum to be rejected as issue divides Australians in poll

Indigenous peoples have long fought for additional rights. Photo: Gabrielle Timmins/KLV/via Reuters

More than half of Australians are poised to vote against controversial policies that would force the government to take Aboriginal advice.

A survey conducted for an Australian newspaper found that 53 per cent of voters say that they would oppose the constitutional change, and 38 percent would support it when they vote in a landmark referendum in October.

The idea of ​​giving Indigenous peoples a so-called «vote in parliament» proved to be highly emotional and deeply divisive in the country, with the turbulent national debate being dubbed «Australia's Brexit moment».

Supporters say it will help heal the wounds of colonization , more than 200 years after the British first claimed the island continent. Opponents say it would create an unnecessary additional layer of bureaucracy and fight for a tangible improvement in the lives of Aboriginals and the country's other indigenous group, the Torres Strait Islanders.

The issue has become so intense and emotional. that it is being compared to the UK Brexit vote in 2016.

Proponents of the yes vote say that if the referendum on the rights of indigenous peoples is rejected, it will damage Australia's international reputation, as supporters of Remains argue in Great Britain. that the decision to leave the EU has damaged the reputation of the UK.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the referendum is a unique opportunity to right historical wrongs. Credit: Kyodo/Newscom/Avalon

“I really believe we are almost at the point of Brexit in Australia if things go negative,” said Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, head of the GetUp group and Vijabul Aboriginal activist Via-bal .< /p>

“There will be many regrets. This will affect the political spirit of this country and how we move forward together. Internationally, how would people perceive Australia as a nation if there was a no vote? There will be no nuance of what happened during the debate, what the misinformation was.

“It will just show for what it is: the rejection of Indigenous people by Australian voters. Even if we win, look at the damage this debate has done to our problems across the country.”

There are still six weeks of intense campaigning ahead of a referendum on 14 October, in which Australians will be asked whether they support the creation of an Indigenous body to advise the federal parliament in Canberra.

Posters in Melbourne promoting the treaty. Photo: William West/AFP via Getty Images

This is the first referendum held in the country in 25 years. The final question, handed down in 1999, was whether Australia should sever ties with the British crown, relinquish the office of queen, and become a republic. This proposal was rejected by 55 percent of voters.

Support for this policy has been steadily falling in recent weeks.

For a referendum to pass, a majority of votes across the country is required, as well as a majority of both in at least four of the six Australian states. change the constitution.

The centre-left Labor government that initiated the referendum is under pressure as public support for constitutional change appears to be waning.

Anthony Albanese, prime minister, says the referendum is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to right historical wrongs and improve the lives of Indigenous peoples who suffer from high rates of incarceration, suicide, ill health and unemployment.

“ This is a moment that brings out the best in our Australian character. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it was a marathon. For all of us, this is now a sprint,” he said.