Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Wednesday that a referendum on enshrining Indigenous rights in the constitution will be held on Oct. 14.
The referendum calls for the creation of a "Voice to Parliament," a committee that will advise lawmakers on laws that affect its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people.
Indigenous Australians make up more than 3% of the country’s nearly 26 million population, but are not mentioned in the constitution despite inhabiting the continent for over 60,000 years.
They were marginalized by British colonial rulers and not granted voting rights until the 1960s, and continue to track below national averages on most socio-economic measures.
"Voting 'no' closes the door on this opportunity to move forward," Albanese said in his speech announcing the referendum date in the city of Adelaide. "Don’t close the door on the next generation of Indigenous Australians."
Public support for the referendum has declined since the measure passed overwhelmingly in the Australian Senate in June amid heated debate. Opponents say the referendum will divide Australians along racial lines.
The referendum will need to be approved by both a majority of the national vote and a majority of Australia’s six states. The last constitutional referendum passed in 1977.
Phil Mercer in Sydney contributed to this report. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.
