Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday unveiled the wording of a draft referendum question as part of moves to enshrine an Indigenous voice in parliament.
The government is seeking a referendum, which is necessary to make changes to the constitution, on recognising Indigenous minorities in the constitution and requiring governments to consult Aboriginal people on decisions that impact their lives.
The change is a commitment Albanese’s centre-left Labor Party took to May’s general election, where it defeated the conservative Liberal-National coalition. The coalition had wanted to establish Indigenous representation in parliament through legislation.
Albanese, who revealed the plan in a speech at an Indigenous festival in remote Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory, proposed the draft referendum question: “Do you support an alteration to the Constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?”…