Australians will vote on Saturday at a referendum that would enshrine in the constitution a so-called Indigenous Voice to
Prime Minister
Albanese said he had “utter admiration and awe” for Farmer’s commitment for the cause which opinion polls suggest is unlikely to succeed.
“No one has done more than this bloke and I am very pleased to welcome him here at Uluru,” Albanese said.
Farmer said his first glimpse of the enormous rock rising from the flat Australian wilderness at a distance of 40 kilometers (25 miles) brought a tear to his eye.
“I’m glad. Very, very happy to be at this point in time, this point in the world’s time where we start to acknowledge Indigenous communities right around the world and the significance of that culture,” Farmer told reporters.
The former lawmaker's run began in Hobart on the island state of
The Voice was recommended in 2017 by a group of 250 Indigenous leaders who met at
Indigenous senator
He said in a
A “No” decision would be a backward step for
“Do you want to go forward or do you want to go backwards or do you want to do nothing? Do you want to look yourself in the mirror and have pride the next day, or have some doubts and uncertainties and even an increase in shame? ” Dodson asked voters.
While recent opinion polls suggest most Australians oppose the Voice, a poll published Wednesday found 59% of Indigenous respondents were in favor.
That support had slipped from more than 80% supported suggested by polls published early this year.
The latest poll published in
Indigenous Australians account for 3.8% of Australia’s population. They have worse outcomes on average than other Australians in a range of measures including health, employment, education, incarceration and suicide rates. Statistically, Indigenous Australians die around eight years younger than the wider community.
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