Today, I made the trek to the Australian Consular office in Toronto to cast my vote in the upcoming Australian Referendum to update the Australian Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. For me, this is a no-brainer. How one of the oldest ontinuous civilizations in the world is not officially recognised in the constitution by those who colonised is baffling, to be honest. As you well know, I recently became a Canadian citizen and had to recite the Canadian oath of citizenship , and affirmed that I would faithfully observe "The Laws of Canada, including the Constitution which recognizes and affirms The Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples". There is no such references in the Australian Constitution, so it's time to change! As a first and second generation immigrant, I know how it can feel to be "othered" for nothing you can control. And of couse as a...
An Aussie gal in Canada, on an adventure of style, mental health, and everything else!