Fewer than half of Australians back Indigenous panel, poll shows

FILE PHOTO: A depiction of the Australian Aboriginal Flag is seen on a window sill at the home of indigenous Muruwari elder Rita Wright, a member of the "Stolen Generations", in Sydney, Australia, January 19, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Fewer than half of Australians back the inclusion of an Indigenous advisory panel in the constitution, in a plan set to face a referendum this year, a newspaper poll showed on Tuesday, down from 53% in May.

The poll comes ahead of a crucial senate vote on changing the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people and include a committee in parliament to advise the government on matters affecting Indigenous people.