Man runs almost 9,000 miles across Australia to raise support for Indigenous Voice

BY ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Ultramarathon runner Pat Farmer has ended a 8,950-mile run at the central Australian sandstone landmark Uluru after a seven-month journey to raise public support for the creation of an Indigenous advocacy body in the constitution. Australians will vote on Saturday at a referendum that would enshrine in the constitution a so-called Indigenous Voice to Parliament. The Voice would be a mechanism for Indigenous Australians to advise lawmakers on policies that effect their lives. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was at Uluru on Wednesday to welcome the 61-year-old runner’s arrival. The run began on the island state of Tasmania on April 17 and traversed every Australian state as well as both mainland territories.