Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Missed opportunity: On the Australia referendum on giving voice to Indigenous peoples

Missed opportunity: On the Australia referendum on giving voice to Indigenous peoples

HDI of the Indigenous (स्वदेशी) peoples must keep pace with those of other Australians

In the recent Australia referendum (जनमत-संग्रह) on the Voice (आवाज़), a proposed body comprising members of the Aboriginal (आदिवासी, मूल) and Torres Strait Islanders (an indigenous person from the islands between northern Australia and New Guinea) people to advise the country’s Parliament on laws impacting this vulnerable (कमजोर, असुरक्षित) group, voters dropped the plan by a resounding (ज़बर्दस्त) 60% margin, rejecting an opportunity to amend their constitution (संविधान) for the first time in almost 50 years towards a more inclusive (comprehensive, extensive, all-inclusive, all-encompassing, all-embracing, thorough, sweeping, far-reaching, widespread, broad-based) ethos (attitudes, beliefs, principles). The idea of the referendum came from a historic 2017 summit (बैठक, सम्मेलन) of Indigenous peoples, which announced the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart (it is an invitation to the Australian people from First Nations Australians. It asks Australians to walk together to build a better future by establishing a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution, and the establishment of a Makarrata Commission for the purpose of treaty making and truth-telling)’ and called for (require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand) a treaty (संधि, समझौता) between the Australian government and the indigenous community as well as a commission (आयोग, समिति) to promote “truth-telling about our history”. In March 2023, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a plan to hold (conduct, organize) the referendum, arguing that the Voice would formalise the “recognition (मान्यता)” that Australians who arrived... from elsewhere “share this great island continent with the world’s oldest continuous culture”. On the one hand, the Voice was seen by its supporters as the means (way, mode, process, method, course) to enable consultations between lawmakers (a member of a legislature (parliament/legislative assembly); legislator, representative) and Indigenous community leaders on policies to address (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out), for example, the shorter life expectancy (जीवन प्रत्याशा) of this group relative to non-Indigenous Australians, and their considerably (काफी) lower health care and education attainments (प्राप्ति), and higher incarceration (confinement, custody, detention, restraint, arrest, imprisonment) rates.

However, its critics (criticizer, censurer, castigator, attacker, fault-finder) posited (propose, put forward, predicate, presuppose, set forth) that the Voice might split Australians along racial lines while failing to reduce the disadvantages faced by the indigenous peoples and opening the door to compensation (payment, repayment, settlement (for loss/damage)) and reparation (redress, restitution, comeback, atonement, amends, remedy) claims. The ‘No’ campaign (an act of soliciting (asking for/requesting) votes; an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision-making progress within a specific group) advocates (supporter, champion, backer, upholder, promoter), including prominent members of the Indigenous community, also urged that at 4.8% of Parliament, which is more than the proportion of Indigenous people in the total population, the group already enjoyed fair representation. Indeed (actually, in reality, truly), several Indigenous leaders have argued that they would prefer to see a “legally binding (mandatory, obligatory, necessary, compulsory, required, unavoidable, essential, imperative), negotiated agreement” between the government and the First Nations peoples. Mr. Albanese has now called for unity across Australian society while standing by (stick to, hold to, abide by, adhere to, comply with) his decision to hold the referendum. While it remains to be seen whether he will — as he has indicated he intends to — hold a referendum if he wins another term (period of office, period, stint, spell) in 2025, in the broader arc of history the country has missed the chance to take forward (assume responsibility for dealing with something) the conversation on building a more harmonious (friendly, amicable, agreeable, peaceful, cooperative, compatible) future for all Australians. Whether by the Voice, a binding treaty or more pro-Indigenous intention and action by lawmakers, unless the human development indicators and life prospects (chances, possibilities, expectations, promise) of the Indigenous peoples are brought to parity (be equal, be equivalent) with those of other Australians, the country’s socioeconomic progress will be hobbled (restrict/control/limit the activity or development of something) by an unsettled (disputed, debated, contentious, controversial, problematic, unresolved) question of justice from its colonial past.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.referendum (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जनमत-संग्रह
English Meaning - public vote; a direct vote in which people cast ballots to decide on a specific issue or policy.

2.voice (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आवाज़
English Meaning - expressed opinion/view.

3.indigenous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्वदेशी
English Meaning - relating to a member of the original group of people living in a place; native, original, aboriginal, ancient, primeval.

4.Human Development Index (HDI) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मानव विकास सूचकांक
English Meaning - the measure of a country’s health, education, and standard of living and ascertains a nations’ average achievement in three basic scales of human development - education, life expectancy, and per capita income.

5.aboriginal (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - आदिवासी, मूल
English Meaning - native, original, indigenous.
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6.vulnerable (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कमजोर, असुरक्षित
English Meaning - endangered, unsafe, unprotected, helpless, powerless.

7.resounding (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - ज़बर्दस्त
English Meaning - decisive, outright, conclusive, colossal, terrific.

8.constitution (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संविधान
English Meaning - body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter.

9.summit (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बैठक, सम्मेलन
English Meaning - meeting, conference, conclave.

10.treaty (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संधि, समझौता
English Meaning - agreement, deal, settlement, protocol, contract.

11.commission (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आयोग, समिति
English Meaning - committee, council, panel, advisory body.

12.recognition (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मान्यता
English Meaning - (formal) acknowledgement, acceptance, admission, approval.

13.life expectancy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जीवन प्रत्याशा
English Meaning - the number of years a person can expect to live.

14.considerably (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - काफी
English Meaning - substantially, appreciably, significantly.

15.attainment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्राप्ति
English Meaning - achievement, accomplishment, fulfilment, realization.

16.keep pace with (phrase)

English Meaning - make progress at the same speed as someone/something else; be comparable to/with, be a match for, bear comparison with, keep up with.

17.Voice (noun)

English Meaning - The proposed advisory body, composed of Indigenous Australians from across the nation, aims to guide the Parliament and executive government on matters concerning Indigenous peoples.

18.Torres Strait Islander (noun)

English Meaning - an indigenous person from the islands between northern Australia and New Guinea.

19.inclusive (adjective)

English Meaning - comprehensive, extensive, all-inclusive, all-encompassing, all-embracing, thorough, sweeping, far-reaching, widespread, broad-based.

20.ethos (noun)

English Meaning - attitudes, beliefs, principles.

21.Uluru Statement from the Heart (noun)

English Meaning - it is an invitation to the Australian people from First Nations Australians. It asks Australians to walk together to build a better future by establishing a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution, and the establishment of a Makarrata Commission for the purpose of treaty making and truth-telling.

22.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.

23.hold (verb)

English Meaning - conduct, organize.

24.on the one hand (phrase)

English Meaning - it is used to introduce the first of two contrasting different, points, facts, or ways of looking at something. It is always followed later by “on the other hand” or ‘on the other’.

25.means (noun)

English Meaning - way, mode, process, method, course.

26.lawmaker (noun)

English Meaning - a member of a legislature (parliament/legislative assembly); legislator, representative.

27.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

28.incarceration (noun)

English Meaning - confinement, custody, detention, restraint, arrest, imprisonment.

29.critic (noun)

English Meaning - criticizer, censurer, castigator, attacker, fault-finder.

30.posit (verb)

English Meaning - propose, put forward, predicate, presuppose, set forth.

31.open the door (phrase)

English Meaning - provide someone opportunities (particularly for success).

32.compensation (noun)

English Meaning - payment, repayment, settlement (for loss/damage).

33.reparation (noun)

English Meaning - redress, restitution, comeback, atonement, amends, remedy.

34.campaign (noun)

English Meaning - an act of soliciting (asking for/requesting) votes; an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision-making progress within a specific group.

35.advocate (noun)

English Meaning - supporter, champion, backer, upholder, promoter.

36.indeed (adjective)

English Meaning - actually, in reality, truly.

37.binding (adjective)

English Meaning - mandatory, obligatory, necessary, compulsory, required, unavoidable, essential, imperative.

38.stand by (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - stick to, hold to, abide by, adhere to, comply with.

39.term (noun)

English Meaning - period of office, period, stint, spell.

40.broader superlative adjective of broad (adjective)

English Meaning - comprehensive, extensive, wide, wide-ranging, broad-ranging.

41.arc (noun)

English Meaning - a continuous progression; a continuous line of development.

42.take forward (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - assume responsibility for dealing with something.

43.harmonious (adjective)

English Meaning - friendly, amicable, agreeable, peaceful, cooperative, compatible.

44.pro- (prefix)

English Meaning - supporting.

45.prospects (noun)

English Meaning - chances, possibilities, expectations, promise.

46.parity (verb)

English Meaning - be equal, be equivalent.

47.socio-economic (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the interaction of social (position, rank, or importance) and economic (income, pay, and wealth) aspects.

48.hobble (verb)

English Meaning - restrict/control/limit the activity or development of something.

49.unsettled (adjective)

English Meaning - disputed, debated, contentious, controversial, problematic, unresolved.