Australian indigenous leaders have called for a ‘week of silence’ after a referendum to recognise the country’s First Peoples was defeated.
Australian indigenous leaders called for a week of silence and reflection after a referendum to recognise the First Peoples in the constitution was decisively rejected by a majority of the population.
More than 60 per cent of Australians voted “No” in the landmark referendum on Saturday, the first in almost a quarter of a century, that asked whether to alter the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people through the creation of an Indigenous advisory body, the “Voice to Parliament”.
The outcome is seen as a setback for reconciliation efforts with the country’s indigenous community, and also for Australia’s image in the world regarding how it treats First Nations people.
Unlike other nations with similar histories like Canada and New Zealand, Australia has not yet formally recognised or reached a treaty with its First Peoples.
