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Australia's contentious referendum - 13th November 2023

Years of prolonged discussions and activism over the enshrining of indigenous representation in the Australian constitution culminated in the majority of Australians rejecting the referendum.

The defeated referendum aimed "To alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice."

The proposal sought to implement an advisory board called 'The Voice', composed of representatives from indigenous communities which would ensure parliament address affairs concerning indigenous communities.

Despite early polling displaying positive support, a majority of voters in every state and territory, barring the Australian Capital Territory, rejected the move. Making up 3.8 percent of Australia's population of 26 million, 80 percent of Indigenous peoples backed the proposal.

Despite having settled the continent and islands for over 60,000 years, Australia's aboriginal communities endure significant disadvantages, grappling with extreme poverty and insufficient access to proper healthcare facilities. Proponents had anticipated the establishment of The Voice would draw attention to the plight of these communities.

Opponents of the referendum justified their vote over the political implications of The Voice. They questioned its influence over enacting legislation, fearing it would sow unfair racial divisions.

Suspicions of external tampering were flagged as a possible cause of the referendum's defeat. Olga Boichak, expert in disinformation at Sydney University, points the finger at potential Russian involvement. Boichak claims that, "influence operations oftentimes sound very ephemeral, very digital – sort of at the level of public discourse – but they actually bring significant harm to some of the population."

Nevertheless, repudiating claims of foreign interference, micro-influencer Simeon Boikov stressed, "The Voice has nothing to do with Russia or Vladimir Putin. In fact, I'm probably sure Russian people have never heard of The Voice."

In spite of the setback, further initiatives could establish The Voice, building on previous iterations of similar representative bodies since the 1970s, of which the last was dissolved in 2019.

Appealing to voters against the measure, Director of the Yes23 campaign, Dean Parkin emphasised that, "All we have wanted was to join with you our indigenous story, our indigenous culture and to not take away or diminish what you have but to add to it."

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