Australian Senate passes bill to allow referendum on Indigenous Voice to Parliament

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Australian Senate on Monday passed a bill that will allow a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament later this year.

The bill received 52 votes to 19 in the Senate after it was passed by Australia’s lower house late last month.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to call a referendum in October, the first since Australians turned down the proposal in 1999, SBS News reported.

"Parliament has just said yes to holding a referendum. Now the Australian people will have a chance to say yes. Together, we can make history by enshrining recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our constitution," he said on Twitter.

"This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lift our great nation even higher," he added.

Over 17 million Australians have registered to participate in the upcoming referendum.

The Indigenous Voice to Parliament is a consultative body that would advise the government on policies and issues concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

On May 31, the bill Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 was passed by the House of Representatives with a vote of 121 in favor and 25 against.

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