But Aboriginal leaders recall how John Howard, a former conservative prime minister, abolished a commission charged with protecting Aboriginal interests.Only the constitution can truly protect them, they argue.Mr Albanese has embraced this idea.For the referendum campaign, his government will draw on a report by Marcia Langton and Tom Calma, two Aboriginal leaders, explaining how the voice would work.They propose a body of 24, chosen by Aboriginal people, to advise the federal government whenever legislation affecting indigenous Australians’ “social, spiritual and economic well-being” is in the works.This approach, Mr Albanese argues, would mean policies “are always more effective”.He, too, points to shocking statistics.Aboriginal men die on average 8.6 years earlier than other Australians (for women, it is 7.8 years).Some critics, including a handful of Aboriginal figures, deride the idea as mere symbolism.Mr Albanese is keen on symbolic gestures: his government’s press conferences now feature the flags used by Australia’s indigenous peoples next to the Australian one.Yet changing the constitution will not be as easy as unfurling extra flags.
