Geelong, Australia
More than 80 Australian Baptist leaders have signed a public letter supporting a ‘Yes’ vote in the upcoming referendum on the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘Voice to Parliament’.
The Baptist Leaders for Yes group, which published the letter on Friday, says the referendum “stands as a once in a generation opportunity to implement a meaningful pathway for a fairer, more truthful, and better reconciled relationship between First Nations people and other Australians” and add that while they respect many people will vote “no” in the referendum, “we…believe voting “no” means accepting the status quo, which we have lived with for too long as a nation”.
“We would encourage all people to carefully consider what is at stake as they vote next weekend.”
They also said they were alarmed by “who have sought to question First Nations disadvantage in the referendum campaign to support the “No” case”.
“We believe most fair-minded Australians agree that the historic, disadvantaged position of First Nations people in our country is untenable and unacceptable and remains a stain on our national consciousness.”
The letter is among a range of responses from Christian churches and leaders in the lead-up to the poll next Saturday, 14th October.
On Saturday, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cast an early vote in the poll. His centre-left Labor government backs the change, while the opposition Liberal-National conservatives urge a vote of “No”. Opponents lead the yes camp by 53 per cent to 38 per cent, according to an opinion poll last week.
If the “Voice to Parliament” referendum is approved on 14th October, it would enshrine Indigenous people in the constitution and set up an advisory body to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people input on policies that affect them.
Most Indigenous people favour the referendum, but some say it is a distraction from achieving practical and positive outcomes and would not fully resolve the issues affecting them.
The political opposition says the measure would not provide practical outcomes for Indigenous people and that regional and local committees in their communities could be more effective than a national body.
Taking advantage of early voting, Albanese posted a photo to Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, showing him casting his vote with his son Nathan Albanese.
“I cast my vote today for Yes and I did so proudly in the knowledge that this is the request of Indigenous Australians,” Albanese told reporters, according to a transcript.
A spokesperson said the prime minister voted in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville, in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, where 4.2 per cent of people identify as Indigenous, slightly higher than the nationwide 3.8 per cent, according to the latest census figures.
Last month, thousands rallied in state capitals across Australia in an effort to buoy the ‘yes’ campaign, which sees the measure as a way to achieve better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Marginalised by British colonial rulers and not mentioned in Australia’s 122-year-old constitution, Indigenous Australians face disadvantages including discrimination, poor health and education outcomes and high incarceration rates. Their life expectancy is about eight years lower than non-Indigenous people.
– With SAM MCKEITH, Sydney, Australia/Reuters
