Australia’s Senate votes for holding referendum on Indigenous Voice to Parliament within 6 months

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Senate has voted for a referendum to be held this year on creating an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, an advocacy body to give the nation’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority more say on government policy. Dozens of mainly Indigenous people stood up the public galleries and applauded when senators passed the bill Monday. The House passed it earlier, meaning the referendum must be held in two to six months. While the Voice would advocate for Indigenous interests, it would not have a vote on laws, and debate over the elected body has been heated and divisive. Proponents hope the Voice will improve living standards for Indigenous Australians. Opponents say the idea creates a racial divide or that the Voice would be a powerless body.