Qantas unveiled on Monday its plan to equip three aircraft with a special livery supporting the recognition of Aborigines in the Australian constitution, thus interfering in the political debate which divides the country.
The Australian flag carrier said the livery featuring the “Yes23“, which asks Australians to vote yes in the referendum, will be applied on three devices: a Boeing 737-800 from Qantas, a turboprop Dash 8 of the regional subsidiary QantasLink and a Airbus A320 of the low-cost subsidiary Jetstar.
Australians will vote in a landmark referendum scheduled for this year on whether they support changing Australia’s constitution to include a “Voice in Parliament“, an indigenous committee responsible for advising the Australian Parliament on matters relating to First Nations peoples. “We support the campaignYes23” because we believe that an official voice with government will help bridge the gap between First Nations people in important areas such as health, education and employmentQantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said at a press conference unveiling the new livery.
Australia’s indigenous peoples are not mentioned in the Constitution. Yet they represent 3.2% of the approximately 26 million inhabitants of the country-continent. Supporters of the “Voice in Parliament” claim that by voting yes, they will help restore strained ties with the Aboriginal community and “unite the nation“, while opponents claim that this initiative would give excessive powers to the natives.
In addition to the special livery on its three aircraft, Qantas will support the campaign teams”Yes23“providing them with trips so they can connect with Australians in remote regions and areas ahead of the referendum,” the company said in a statement.
