Aus to look for ways to boost Indigenous voice

Statues of Indigenous Australians in front of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy outside the old Parliament House in Canberra. Pic/AP

Australia will look for new ways to lift Indigenous living standards after voters soundly rejected a proposal to create a new advocacy committee, the deputy prime minister said on Sunday.

Every state and mainland territory apart from Australian Capital Territory voted against a proposal to enshrine in the constitution an Indigenous Voice to Parliament to advocate on behalf of the nation's most disadvantaged ethnic minority.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said his government remained committed to improving Indigenous welfare to close the eight-year gap in average life expectancies between Indigenous Australians and the wider community.

"In terms of exactly what the precise steps forward are from here is a matter that we need to take some time to work on and I think people can understand that," Marles said.

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