#AUSTRALIA: August Vote On Special Aboriginal Voice In Parliament Approved

[world politics news]

Australia’s House of Representatives voted overwhelming last Wednesday for a referendum to be held this year on creating an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, an advocate aiming to give the nation’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority more say on government policy.

While the Voice would advocate for Indigenous interests, it would not have a vote on laws, and debate for and against the elected body has become increasingly heated and divisive.

Labor Party Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who supports the referendum and creation of the position,  celebrated on twitter: 

BREAKING: Parliament has just said yes to holding a referendum. Now the Australian people will have a chance to say yes. 

Together, we can make history by enshrining recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our constitution."

But Opposition leader Peter Dutton  (Liberal)   told Parliament the proposal would permanently divide Australians by race. “It will have an Orwellian effect where all Australians are equal, but some Australians are more equal than others,” Dutton said.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#AUSTRALIA: Labor Party Will Not Make Republic Referendum A Priority In Election

[world politics news]

Australia's Federal Labor Party is no longer committed to holding a vote on whether Australia should become a republic within its first term of government. 

The party is instead prioritizing a referendum to create an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which would allow First Nations people a say on policies and laws affecting their communities.

During the last election, the Labor Party set aside $160 million for a plebiscite to determine support for a republic, before a referendum on what model that should take at a later date.

Pictured: Uluru, a large rock formation in Australia's Northern Territory, is sacred to indigenous peoples.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Researcher Loses Govt Job After False Indigenous Heritage Claims

[world politics news]

A Canadian medical researcher who rose to become the nation’s top voice on indigenous health has been ousted from her government job and her university professorship — after suspicious colleagues investigated her increasingly fanciful claims of Native American heritage and learned she was a fraud.

Carrie Bourassa, a public health expert who served as scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health, was suspended on Nov. 1, five days after the state-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation published a lengthy expose on her background.

Some are comparing her to US senator Elizabeth Warren, who claimed native American heritage based on "family stories."

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ECUADOR: Pres. Morena Cancels Austerity Package To End Violent Protests

[world politics news]

Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno and leaders of the country's indigenous peoples have struck a deal to cancel a disputed austerity package and end nearly two weeks of protests that have paralysed the economy and left seven people dead.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.