Australian runs 14,400 km for indigenous rights

CANBERRA, Australia — Ultramarathon runner Pat Farmer ended a 14,400-kilometer run at the central Australian sandstone landmark Uluru on Wednesday after a seven-month journey to raise public support for the creation of an indigenous advocacy body in the constitution.

Australians will vote on Saturday at a referendum that would enshrine in the constitution a so-called Indigenous Voice to Parliament, a mechanism for indigenous Australians to advise lawmakers on policies that affect their lives.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was at Uluru, which is an indigenous sacred site also known as Ayers Rock, to welcome the 61-year-old runner's arrival.

Albanese said he had "utter admiration and awe" for Farmer's commitment for the cause that opinion polls suggest is unlikely to succeed.

Farmer's run began in Hobart on the island state of Tasmania on April 17, and he traversed every Australian state as well as both mainland territories.

Albanese has said a "yes" vote would end "200 years of broken promises and betrayals, failures and false starts". He and other supporters believe the measures would help make amends for Australia's often brutal history of colonization and race-based repression — what many consider their nation's original sin.

However, after holding a massive early lead in the polls, "yes" has trailed heavily since the opposition conservative party, led by former defense minister Peter Dutton, announced its opposition.

Critics of the reforms see the project as constitutional tinkering that demonizes white Australians and would do little to improve the lot of indigenous communities.

The "no" campaign has thrived on concern about the powers the Voice body would wield, and by embracing uninformed voters with the slogan: "If you don't know, vote no."

A recent Resolve poll showed the "no" vote leading "yes" by 56-44.

Barring "a catastrophic polling failure", the "no" campaign is destined to win, pollster and analyst Kevin Bonham said.

"A turnaround of that size in public opinion will not happen. And even if there is a large turnaround, we are at the stage where quite a few people have already voted," he said, pointing to more than 2 million ballots cast in early voting.

Indigenous Australians account for 3.8 percent of Australia's population. They have worse outcomes on average than other Australians in a range of measures, including health, employment, education, incarceration and suicide rates. The life expectancy of indigenous Australians is about eight years less than for other citizens, according to government statistics.

Xinhua