FILE PHOTO: An Australian Aboriginal man blows into a shell as an indigenous man from the Torres Strait Islands wearing traditional dress performs during a welcoming ceremony at Government House in Sydney, Australia, June 28, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia plans to hold a federal referendum later this year to constitutionally recognise its Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Island people through the establishment of a representative Voice that will provide non-binding advice to the parliament.
Indigenous citizens have inhabited the land for roughly 60,000 years but are not mentioned in the constitution and track well below national averages on most socio-economic measures.
