Tens of thousands gather across Australia to support referendum on minorities' constitutional rights

By Anadolu staff

Australians gathered nationwide on Sunday to show their support for constitutional change at an upcoming referendum to recognize the role of the country's Aboriginal minorities.

Supporters of the referendum on the "Indigenous Voice to Parliament” huddled in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne aside from more than two-dozen other locations across the country throughout the day, the Australia Broadcasting Corporation reported.

They even gathered as far away as New York, where they marched over the Brooklyn Bridge in support of the referendum.

Australia will hold the defining referendum on Oct. 14.

At Sydney's 'Walk for Yes' rally, tens of thousands braved the heat, while in Melbourne, police estimated that 30,000 people attended.

If the referendum is passed, Indigenous Australians would get the constitutional right to advise parliament on policies related to them for the first time in the nation's history.

The draft Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 was passed on June 19, clearing the way for a vote to form an Indigenous body that would advise on legislation and policy affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The move has its share of supporters and critics across Australia’s political spectrum, leaving its future uncertain.

-Who are Australia’s Indigenous people?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are the “First Peoples of Australia,” known to have inhabited the continent for more than 65,000 years.

Aboriginal people mostly live on the Australian mainland and in Tasmania, while the Torres Strait Islander people are settled on the islands of the Torres Strait, which lie between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The Torres Strait Islands are now part of the Australian state of Queensland. There are over 600 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and each group has its own unique culture, customs and traditions.

Since the colonization of Australia by British settlers in 1788, Indigenous people have faced immense hardships, ranging from the loss of traditional culture and homelands to the forced removal of children and denial of citizenship rights, according to the Australian Human Rights Commission.