More than 17 million Australians are expected to vote in a national referendum this Saturday on a measure that would change the country’s constitution.
A proposal would create an advisory body of Indigenous people to work with the national parliament on issues involving their communities.
In Australia, those First Nation representatives would include Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the latest count made up nearly 4% of the national population.
The members of the advisory group would be chosen by Indigenous communities around Australia and would counsel members of parliament on policies ranging from health care to education and housing.
However, they would not have any voting power.
The action requires a national referendum to change the constitution — a relatively rare occurrence in Australian history.
Since the constitution took effect in 1901, 44 referendums have been held. Only 8 have passed.
The last successful referendum was in 1977.
National opinion polls show that support for this weekend's vote has declined over the past year, and in most surveys is currently running below 50%.
