Commentary
On July 30, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used an address at an Indigenous Festival in the Northern Territory to reveal the referendum question which may be put to the Australian people to enshrine the Voice in the Constitution. Although it is still a draft referendum question, it gives an insight into the thinking of the government on this contentious issue.
The question is: “Do you support an alteration to the Constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?”
The prime minister also suggested that three provisions be added to the Constitution if the referendum were to succeed: the first would entrench the Voice in the Constitution; the second would allow the Voice to make representations to parliament and the executive government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ASTI). The third proposes to insert, into the Constitution, a new head of legislative power, according to which the parliament shall have power to make laws with respect to the functions and procedures of the Voice….