Australians have resoundingly rejected a proposal to recognise Aboriginal people in its constitution and establish a body to advise parliament on Indigenous issues.

Saturday’s voice to parliament referendum failed, with the defeat clear shortly after polls closed.

  • foggy@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Oh it’s not just us.

    UK, and Canada have sordid pasts as well.

        • Afghaniscran@feddit.uk
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          1 year ago

          I’m from the UK so I can vouch that the government are actively shitty to it’s not rich people.

          • supert@lemmy.sdfeu.org
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            1 year ago

            If I want to explain the class system to someone from a former colony, I start with colonialism, but practised at home.

        • Ilandar@aussie.zone
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          1 year ago

          I’m not disagreeing with you, but the point to understand here is that Australia cannot even make it over the very first hurdle. Indigenous peoples are recognised in Canada’s constitution, the Canadian government has signed many treaties over hundreds of years and Canada even has a form of Indigenous self-governance in Nunavut. Australia cannot get anywhere even close to these things. Constitutional recognition was just rejected, widespread treaty making is only in its infancy and self-governance is an absolute pipe dream.

          Other former colonies may be shitty towards their Indigenous peoples, but at the very least there is generally some form of recognition of their importance as Indigenous. In Australia, we do not even see Indigenous peoples as Indigenous. We don’t understand what that word actually means. So much of the commentary from No voters during this referendum was about how Indigenous Australians are just another racial minority group, equating them with Chinese Australians, Indian Australians, etc. People fundamentally do not understand the difference, because they do not understand the history of their own country.

        • blargerer@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          It could be ignorance, but as a Canadian of European descent, I’d have claimed we were passively shitty more than actively shitty.

    • jaybone@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Pretty much any white person who doesn’t live in Europe is guilty of these atrocities.