Australia is facing a pivotal moment. The people should vote on their own future this year – with far-reaching consequences.
The mood is tense, the debates heated. Australia is facing a historic moment: For the first time in 24 years, a constitutional amendment will be voted on. It’s about human rights, dignity, reconciliation. About how a country can come to terms with its colonial history.
But let’s start from the beginning – with the first peoples. Because long before the Union Jack was waved and fish & chips were fried, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples lived in the land now known as Australia. More specifically, the indigenous peoples have been walking this remote continent for at least 60,000 years. The origin of white influence seems like a blink of an eye in comparison: in 1788 the first British fleet reached the continent. A fateful day for the natives, who until then had lived isolated from the outside world as Stone Age hunters and gatherers.
What follows is shocking: expulsion, exclusion, rape, mass murder, slavery: the stories from the colonial era, which still hover over the country like dark thunderclouds today, are unbelievable. At that time, the First Nations Peoples were of less value to the whites than animals. They are shipped to reservations, their children are placed in homes or planted with white families. These children, who have been snatched from their families for decades, are referred to as the “stolen generation”.
Ayers Rock in Australia. (Source: IMAGO)
What are the indigenous peoples of Australia called?
The word “Aborigine” is considered tactless in Australia as it has an origin in colonialism. The indigenous groups of Australia refer to themselves as “First Nations peoples”, “First peoples” or “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”. The plural is used to draw attention to the diversity among indigenous cultures. Of the approximately 26 million inhabitants of Australia, almost one million are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Torres Strait Islanders are an indigenous group inhabiting the eponymous strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea.
A long way
The road to recognition is long: in 1901, Australia passed its constitution, in which the indigenous people were not mentioned. It was not until 1949 that they officially received Australian citizenship. From 1962 they were allowed to vote, but had no civil rights. In 1967, the constitution was changed by a referendum – now they have the same civil rights as whites, can own real estate and are entitled to government benefits. But the pain of cultural uprooting weighs heavily. Poverty, violence and alcoholism are problems in many communities. In 2008, Kevin Rudd became the first prime minister to apologize to the “stolen generation.” In 2013, Julia Gillard’s government passed legislation recognizing Australia’s indigenous people.
They are only the first steps towards reconciliation and finding the truth, but they are not sufficient to come to terms with decades of oppression. Even today, large parts of white society still seem to have little understanding for the concerns of the indigenous people. In the pub, people often joke about their culture thoughtlessly and disrespectfully. However, far too few people know what really happened. Some Australians deny past atrocities while others try to put them into perspective.
“Uluru Statement from the Heart”
In 2017, an initiative ignited a spark of potential change: a panel of leaders from the First Peoples met for deliberation at Ayers Rock. Over 1,200 representatives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities from across the country attended the event. They debated intensely for four days and eventually wrote the Uluru Statement from the Heart. It was a powerful appeal to politicians that Indigenous Australians should be allowed to sit at decision-making tables and be heard in legislative processes.
Australian Senator Pat Dodson: He campaigns for the rights of Indigenous Australians – and is also known as the “Father of Reconciliation”. He is also a supporter of the Uluru Statement of the Heart. (Credit: Tamati Smith/GettyImages)
“Voice to Parliament” is to be enshrined in the constitution
In their heartfelt statement, the envoys called for the following demands: A voice in parliament anchored in the constitution (“Voice to Parliament”) and a so-called “Makarrata Commission”. This is a committee designed to facilitate sovereignty treaties and truth-telling between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. “Makarrata” is a complex word that comes from a population group in north-eastern Arnhem Land, the Yolngu people. It describes a philosophy of conflict resolution, peacemaking and justice.
The proposal to enshrine an indigenous voice in the constitution is causing a particular stir. Specifically, it is described as an entity that advises the government on issues affecting the indigenous people. It is to be given neither a right of veto in Parliament nor the power to legislate. In doing so, the indigenous people want to ensure that the government gives them answers to the many pressing problems in their communities that all too often still go unheeded. The right to a vote in parliament embedded in the constitution is also intended to help combat systemic discrimination in the country.
