Australia debates Indigenous referendum as pamphlets launched
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Parties on both sides of a debate on whether to constitutionally recognise Australia’s Indigenous people released their official pamphlets on Tuesday, which will start being delivered to letterboxes across the country. Australians will be asked to vote in a referendum later this year on whether they support altering the constitution to include a […]
Support dips for Indigenous recognition referendum in Australia, poll shows
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Fewer than half of all Australian voters are supporting a proposal to include an Indigenous advisory body in the constitution that will be put to a referendum later this year, the latest opinion poll showed on Monday. About 46 per cent will vote yes to having the new advisory body, called the Indigenous […]
As Australia votes, Indigenous people press call for inclusion in constitution
Canberra, AustraliaReuters Activists at one of the world’s longest-running protests for the rights of Indigenous people are not pinning their hopes for change on Australia’s 21st May general election. The election campaign has been dominated by debate about rising prices, COVID-19 and climate change, with the plight of Australia’s 700,000 or so Indigenous people, who […]
Protests, citizenship festivities mark contentious Australia Day holiday
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Thousands rallied against the mistreatment of Indigenous people across Australia on Wednesday as citizenship ceremonies took place to mark the country’s national day intended to celebrate the birth of the modern Australia. The 26th January public holiday marks the date the British fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788 to start a penal […]
“One and Free”: prominent Australian lawmaker urges change to national anthem
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia should change the lyrics of its national anthem to honour its Indigenous people, the leader of the country’s most populous state said on Wednesday, becoming one of the most prominent lawmakers to endorse such an alteration. Australia’s national anthem includes the line “we are young and free”. But Gladys Berejiklian, Premier of […]
Australia’s Uluru opens to climbers for last time ahead of ban
Yulara, AustraliaReuters Hundreds of tourists clambered up Australia’s Uluru on Friday, the day before a permanent ban on climbing the sacred rock takes effect following a decades-long fight by Indigenous people to close the trek. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed 348 metre monolith, formerly known as Ayers Rock, is a top tourist draw in Australia despite […]
Australia promises national vote on recognition of Indigenous people by 2022
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia will hold a national vote within three years on whether to include recognition of Indigenous people in its constitution, the government said on Wednesday, an issue that has spurred decades of often heated debate. Australia has struggled to reconcile with descendants of its first inhabitants, who arrived on the continent about 50,000 […]
KNOW IT ALL: AUSTRALIA’S 1967 REFERENDUM…
As Australia marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum, DAVID ADAMS takes a look at what it was all about…
Call for a “fundamental shift” in working with Indigenous Australian youth after survey finds 1 in 10 males have “zero” happiness
There needs to be a “fundamental shift” towards a more inclusive and consultative way of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in Australia, says Mission Australia. The call comes after a report found they have higher levels of concern than their non-Indigenous peers about issues such as bullying, emotional abuse, depression, drugs, […]