Voting begins in Australia in landmark Indigenous Voice referendum

Sydney, Australia Reuters Australians began voting on Saturday in a historic referendum, the first in almost a quarter of a century, to decide whether to recognise its First Peoples in the constitution, as requested by the country’s Indigenous leaders six years ago. Australians will simply write “Yes” or “No” on the ballot paper, after a […]
More than 80 Australian Baptist leaders throw support behind ‘yes’ vote as referendum nears

Geelong, Australia More than 80 Australian Baptist leaders have signed a public letter supporting a ‘Yes’ vote in the upcoming referendum on the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘Voice to Parliament’. The Baptist Leaders for Yes group, which published the letter on Friday, says the referendum “stands as a once in a generation opportunity to […]
Polls show Australia Indigenous referendum support slipping, likely to fail

Sydney, Australia Reuters Support for a referendum to constitutionally recognise Australia’s Indigenous people slipped further, with the landmark proposal set to fail in a national vote roughly three weeks away, two opinion polls showed on Monday. Support for a “Voice to Parliament”, an Indigenous committee to advise parliament on matters affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait […]
Essay: Time to listen to the “deep and resounding call for justice”

GERSHON NIMBALKER, national director of Australian-based Christian justice advocacy organisation Common Grace, explains why the organisation is calling for a ‘yes’ vote in the upcoming referendum on the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament…
Essay: Voice referendum a chance for Australia’s church to take a stand for justice

TIM COSTELLO wonders whether Australian Christians have learnt the lessons of history when it comes to addressing injustice…
Swiss voters approve global minimum corporate tax, climate goals

Zurich, Switzerland Reuters Voters in Switzerland on Sunday approved the introduction of a global minimum tax on businesses and a climate law that aims to cut fossil fuel use and reach zero emissions by 2050, public broadcaster SRF reported. The results showed almost 80 per cent of those who voted in Sunday’s national referendum backed […]
Mali counts votes from referendum expected pave the way to elections

Bamako, Mali Reuters Mali started counting votes on Sunday from a constitutional referendum that the ruling military junta and regional powers have said will pave the way to elections and a return to civilian rule. The junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, promised to hold the plebiscite as part of a […]
Central African Republic plans referendum on scrapping presidential term limits

Bangui, Central African Republic Reuters Central African Republic’s President Faustin-Archange Touadera said on Tuesday he would hold a referendum in July on his intention to change the constitution and remove term limits. Touadera’s allies proposed the change in May last year, arguing that presidential term limits were uncommon in many neighbouring countries. Critics and opposition […]
Australian Government introduces Indigenous referendum bill in parliament

Sydney, Australia Reuters The Australian Government on Thursday took the first formal step towards holding a referendum to recognise Indigenous people in the constitution and set up an Indigenous “Voice to Parliament” to advise lawmakers on matters that impact their lives. Introducing the bill in parliament, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the referendum, to be held […]
Explainer – What is Australia’s Indigenous ‘Voice to Parliament’ campaign?

Sydney, Australia Reuters Australia plans to hold a federal referendum later this year to constitutionally recognise its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through the establishment of a representative Voice that will provide non-binding advice to the parliament. A sticker of the Australian Aboriginal Flag along with the word “RESPECT” is pictured on a structure […]