Support for a proposal to amend Australia's constitution to enshrine recognition of Indigenous people has edged higher, according to a poll published on Tuesday, although most voters intend to reject the change in a referendum now underway.

Early voting on whether to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution and create a "Voice to Parliament" to give them an avenue to advise the government on matters affecting First Nations Australians began on Monday.

The latest Guardian Essential poll showed support for the "yes" vote had risen two points to 43% over the past two weeks, while backing for a "no" vote slipped two points to 49%. The shifts are within the poll's three-point margin of error.

A "hard no" group in the survey of 1,125 voters outnumbered "hard yes" respondents by 42% to 30%.

Voting in Australia's first referendum since a 1999 rejection of a proposal to become a republic closes on Oct. 14.

Supporters of the proposal argue that the Voice would bring progress for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, while opponents say it would be divisive.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who introduced the referendum, said people tended to support the reform once they understood its details.

"It is a pretty humble request frankly," Albanese said on Triple M Hobart radio in Tasmania state.

"They're not asking for a right of veto or the right to fund programmes or anything like that. They're just saying 'we want to be heard'."

Unlike New Zealand and Canada, Australia has no treaty with its Indigenous people, who make up about 3.2% of its population of 26 million. Indigenous groups were marginalized by British colonial rulers and are not mentioned in Australia's 122-year-old constitution.

Despite backing from sports stars and celebrities, support for the proposal has slumped in recent months, with respondents in a poll last week saying the vote distracted from issues like the cost of living and housing.

Some critics have described the Voice as tokenism and toothless.

A campaign volunteer for the "no" vote, Ken Harris, said he was concerned about policy changes that might come should the proposal be vote in.

"Noel Pearson, one of the advocates for the 'yes' side, has said this, 'the Voice, is just the first door' so it’s what else is behind the door that worries me a great deal," Harris said.

"I don’t like to see the country divided according to race," he said. "I think we all should be equal Australians, equal in every respect and not have a special carve out for one particular race."

Altering the constitution in Australia is notoriously difficult and only eight referendums have passed since 1901 when it became a country.

The proposal must get a majority of votes nationwide and at least four of the six states must back the change.

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Support for a proposal to amend Australia's constitution to enshrine recognition of Indigenous people has edged higher, according to a poll published on Tuesday, although most voters intend to reject the change in a referendum now underway.

Support for a proposal to amend Australia's constitution to enshrine recognition of Indigenous people has edged higher, according to a poll published on Tuesday, although most voters intend to reject the change in a referendum now underway. Early voting on whether to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution and create a "Voice to Parliament" to give them an avenue to advise the government on matters affecting First Nations Australians began on Monday. The latest Guardian Essential poll showed support for the "yes" vote had risen two points to 43% over the past two weeks, while backing for a "no" vote slipped two points to 49%. The shifts are within the poll's three-point margin of error. A "hard no" group in the survey of 1,125 voters outnumbered "hard yes" respondents by 42% to 30%. Voting in Australia's first referendum since a 1999 rejection of a proposal to become a republic closes on Oct. 14. Supporters of the proposal argue that the Voice would bring progress for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, while opponents say it would be divisive. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who introduced the referendum, said people tended to support the reform once they understood its details. "It is a pretty humble request frankly," Albanese said on Triple M Hobart radio in Tasmania state. "They're not asking for a right of veto or the right to fund programmes or anything like that. They're just saying 'we want to be heard'." Unlike New Zealand and Canada, Australia has no treaty with its Indigenous people, who make up about 3.2% of its population of 26 million. Indigenous groups were marginalized by British colonial rulers and are not mentioned in Australia's 122-year-old constitution. Despite backing from sports stars and celebrities, support for the proposal has slumped in recent months, with respondents in a poll last week saying the vote distracted from issues like the cost of living and housing. Some critics have described the Voice as tokenism and toothless. A campaign volunteer for the "no" vote, Ken Harris, said he was concerned about policy changes that might come should the proposal be vote in. "Noel Pearson, one of the advocates for the 'yes' side, has said this, 'the Voice, is just the first door' so it’s what else is behind the door that worries me a great deal," Harris said. "I don’t like to see the country divided according to race," he said. "I think we all should be equal Australians, equal in every respect and not have a special carve out for one particular race." Altering the constitution in Australia is notoriously difficult and only eight referendums have passed since 1901 when it became a country. The proposal must get a majority of votes nationwide and at least four of the six states must back the change. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Support for Australian Indigenous recognition up slightly with vote underway

Australians will vote in a referendum on 14 October 2023 to constitutionally recognise its Indigenous people by establishing a representative body responsible for providing non-binding advice to the parliament.

Australians will vote in a referendum on 14 October 2023 to constitutionally recognise its Indigenous people by establishing a representative body responsible for providing non-binding advice to the parliament. Indigenous people of Australia consist of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They are 3.2 per cent of Australia's total population. More than 800,000 Indigenous people have inhabited the land for 60,000 years. They comprise various groups who have their histories, cultures and languages. After the British colonisation began in 1788, Australia's Indigenous population started plunging. The British colonisers took their land, exposed them to new diseases, pushed them to work in slave-like conditions, and even killed many. Since then, the marginalisation of Australia's First Nations people has continued. But there have been some efforts to address this issue more recently. ALSO READ | Russia uses car tyres to cover military aircraft to deter Ukrainian drone attacks: Report More than 60 years after the nations' establishment in 1901, Australia included the Indigenous people in census figures in 1967, following a referendum to amend the constitution. In 2017, around 250 First Nations representatives gathered at the holy monolith landmark of Uluru in central Australia. They created the 'Uluru Statement from the Heart', calling for a First Nations Voice enshrined in the constitution. However, at that time, the conservative government rejected the call. When Anthony Albanese became prime minister in 2022, he promised to hold a referendum to include an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the parliament, giving Australians a say. According to Reuters, Albanese has staked much of his political capital on the referendum by making it one of the prime issues. The supportive forces comprise the left-wing Greens party, independent legislators, welfare groups, and national and ethno-religious groups. However, some people oppose it on both flanks of the political ridge. Lidia Thorpe, an independent Indigenous senator, is one of them. She left the Green party over concerns about the Voice proposal, as she wants a treaty between the government and Indigenous people first, parallel to what New Zealand and Canada have. While New Zealand's Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 promises to protect Maori culture, Canada recognises the rights of its Indigenous people under the Constitution Act 1982. Those against the proposal are the conservative Liberal Party and the rural-based National Party. They have appealed to Australians to vote "No" in the referendum. A campaign called "Recognise a Better Way" suggests creating an all-party parliamentary committee to address the concerns of native titleholders instead of having a referendum on establishing a Voice to Parliament. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

What is Australia's Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum? Here's all you need to know about the proposal

On Tuesday, indigenous residents of the low-lying Australian island of Torres Strait filed a landmark lawsuit against the Australian government.

The lawsuit is aimed at forcing the government to take steps to protect the islanders from climate change, by imposing deeper cuts on carbon emissions so as to combat the climate crisis. &nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-adopts-target-of-net-zero-emissions-by-2050-but-wont-legislate-goal-424095">Australia adopts target of net zero emissions by 2050 but won't legislate goal</a>

They say that rising sea levels pose an existential threat to their homelands and culture, thereby putting them at the frontline of the climate crisis.

Lawmakers representing traditional land owners of Boigu and Saibai, two of the hardest hit islands, want the Federal Court to order the government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that would prevent Torres Strait Islanders from ending up as climate refugees.

In terms of climate change class actions, this is believed to be the first to be launched by Indigenous Australians.

Australian officials unveiled a 2050 net-zero goal on the same day the lawsuit was filed; the plan, however, is light-on-detail and criticised for relying heavily on undeveloped technologies and carbon offsets.

Watch |&nbsp;Climate holdout Australia sets 2050 net zero emissions target

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The Torres Strait, also called Zenadth Kes, is a collection of 274 islands between Australia's mainland and Papua New Guinea. Fewer than 5,000 people live there.

In its lawsuit, the islanders claim that some islands are expected to become uninhabitable if global temperatures rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted that we could pass that threshold by 2030.

United Nations reports project the world will warm by 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100, based on current global commitments.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/g20-split-over-coal-15-degree-climate-limit-ahead-of-rome-summit-report-422972" hreflang="en">G20 split over coal, 1.5 degree climate limit ahead of Rome summit: Report</a>

The plaintiff, Paul Kabai, who lives on the island of Saibai, said that salt-ruined soils and worsening flooding were putting the health of his people at risk, leaving them facing a dire future.

"If you take away our homelands, we don't know who we are. We have a cultural responsibility to make sure that doesn't happen."

He said becoming a climate refugee means losing everything: their homes, their culture, their stories, and identity. 
In May, a federal judge ruled that expanding a coal mine near Sydney would cause climate-related harm to eight Australian teenagers. That judgement paved the way for this lawsuit.

People in Australia and around the world are increasingly turning to the courts in an effort to prod governments into taking action on climate change.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/planned-fossil-fuel-production-dangerously-out-of-sync-with-needed-emissions-cuts-un-422407" hreflang="en">Planned fossil fuel production 'dangerously out of sync' with needed emissions cuts: UN</a>

Earlier in 2019, a group of Torres Strait Islanders had filed a separate complaint with the United Nations, alleging that the authorities are failing to address climate change, which is a violation of their human rights.

The Australian government has asked for the complaint to be dismissed; however, the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva has not yet formally responded.

On Tuesday, indigenous residents of the low-lying Australian island of Torres Strait filed a landmark lawsuit against the Australian government. The lawsuit is aimed at forcing the government to take steps to protect the islanders from climate change, by imposing deeper cuts on carbon emissions so as to combat the climate crisis.

On Tuesday, indigenous residents of the low-lying Australian island of Torres Strait filed a landmark lawsuit against the Australian government. The lawsuit is aimed at forcing the government to take steps to protect the islanders from climate change, by imposing deeper cuts on carbon emissions so as to combat the climate crisis. Also read | Australia adopts target of net zero emissions by 2050 but won't legislate goal They say that rising sea levels pose an existential threat to their homelands and culture, thereby putting them at the frontline of the climate crisis. Lawmakers representing traditional land owners of Boigu and Saibai, two of the hardest hit islands, want the Federal Court to order the government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that would prevent Torres Strait Islanders from ending up as climate refugees. In terms of climate change class actions, this is believed to be the first to be launched by Indigenous Australians. Australian officials unveiled a 2050 net-zero goal on the same day the lawsuit was filed; the plan, however, is light-on-detail and criticised for relying heavily on undeveloped technologies and carbon offsets. Watch | Climate holdout Australia sets 2050 net zero emissions target The Torres Strait, also called Zenadth Kes, is a collection of 274 islands between Australia's mainland and Papua New Guinea. Fewer than 5,000 people live there. In its lawsuit, the islanders claim that some islands are expected to become uninhabitable if global temperatures rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted that we could pass that threshold by 2030. United Nations reports project the world will warm by 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100, based on current global commitments. Also read | G20 split over coal, 1.5 degree climate limit ahead of Rome summit: Report The plaintiff, Paul Kabai, who lives on the island of Saibai, said that salt-ruined soils and worsening flooding were putting the health of his people at risk, leaving them facing a dire future. "If you take away our homelands, we don't know who we are. We have a cultural responsibility to make sure that doesn't happen." He said becoming a climate refugee means losing everything: their homes, their culture, their stories, and identity. In May, a federal judge ruled that expanding a coal mine near Sydney would cause climate-related harm to eight Australian teenagers. That judgement paved the way for this lawsuit. People in Australia and around the world are increasingly turning to the courts in an effort to prod governments into taking action on climate change. Also read | Planned fossil fuel production 'dangerously out of sync' with needed emissions cuts: UN Earlier in 2019, a group of Torres Strait Islanders had filed a separate complaint with the United Nations, alleging that the authorities are failing to address climate change, which is a violation of their human rights. The Australian government has asked for the complaint to be dismissed; however, the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva has not yet formally responded.

Australian indigenous islanders file lawsuit against government, demand climate action

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Support for Australian Indigenous recognition up slightly with vote underway

What is Australia's Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum? Here's all you need to know about the proposal

Australian indigenous islanders file lawsuit against government, demand climate action