News - Middle East: Thousands of people have held demonstrations across Australia in support of a campaign to recognize the country's Indigenous people in the constitution, ahead of the referendum later this year.

The rallies held on Sunday were organized by the Yes23 campaign group, following a recent dip in support for the constitutional change guaranteeing rights of Indigenous Australians.
The proposal that will be put up for referendum between October and December this year plans to establish an advisory body - the Indigenous Voice to Parliament - aiming to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a direct say in the policies that affect them.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government supports the change; however, the opposition parties have been objecting to the proposal.
During the general elections campaign in May last year, Albanese’s Labor party had pledged to recognize an Indigenous voice in parliament
Wearing T-shirts with “vote yes” slogans, the attendees in the Sydney rally donned caps bearing “the uluru statement,” referring to a key document that calls for an Indigenous Voice.