Australia's Historic Referendum: Recognizing and Elevating the Voice of Indigenous People
Australia has set October 14 as the date for a historic referendum on whether to change the constitution to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The referendum will ask Australians whether they support including a "Voice to Parliament," an Indigenous committee to advise federal parliament on matters affecting Indigenous communities. The campaign leading up to the referendum will last six weeks. While the government and various groups support the change, public debate on the issue has been divisive, and support for the proposal has dipped in recent months. The referendum requires a "double majority" to be successful, meaning it must be backed by more than 50% of voters nationwide and supported by a majority of voters in at least four of the six states.