A man walks across the park towards town, ahead of a nationwide referendum on Indigenous issues, in Hermannsburg, Australia, September 18, 2023. On October 14, Australians will vote on whether to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution and enshrine in it an advisory body called the Voice to Parliament that would give non-binding advice to lawmakers on matters concerning the continent's first inhabitants. Unlike New Zealand, Canada and the U.S., Australia has no treaty with its Indigenous people, who make up about 3.8 per cent of the population. Under government policies they suffered dispossession of their homelands and forced separation of children from their parents until well into the 20th century. Many live in poverty and experience lower life expectancy, high incarceration rates and poor educational outcomes.
