Melanated People have no friends...

Australians rejected a landmark constitutional amendment aimed at recognizing and empowering its Indigenous people. Preliminary results from the Australia Electoral Commission revealed that 60% of the country’s 17 million registered voters rejected the proposal, while only 40% voted in favor of it.

Indigenous people make up 3.8% of Australia’s population and have inhabited the continent for at least 60,000 years. Despite this, they’re not mentioned in the country’s constitution (just like the Native Americans). The proposed amendment sought to recognize Indigenous people in the constitution and create an advisory council that would allow them to shape government policies that affected them. It required a majority in at least 4 of Australia’s 6 states to pass.

Supporters of the amendment also aimed to address pressing issues in Indigenous communities, such as escalated rates of suicide, domestic violence, incarceration, and illness. Opponents argued it would be divisive and ineffective.

After the vote, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who supported the amendment, pushed for unity.

‘This moment of disagreement does not define us. And it will not divide us. We are not yes voters or no voters,’ he said. ‘We are all Australians.’