Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a final plea to vote in favour of recognising Indigenous people in the constitution in a referendum on Saturday, as opinion polls show the vote is set to fail.
Australians have to vote 'Yes' or 'No' to a question asking whether they agree to alter the 122-year-old constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people, and create an Indigenous body, called the Voice to Parliament, that can provide advice to the government on Indigenous issues.
Australia's Indigenous citizens, about 3.8% of the country's 26 million population, have inhabited the land for about 60,000 years but are not mentioned in the constitution and track below national averages on most socio-economic measures. Referendums are difficult to pass in Australia, with only eight of 44 referendums being approved since it became a country in 1901. Constitutional change requires a majority of votes nationwide and in at least four of the six states.
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