By Karla Grant
Ahead of Australia’s referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament, which will mark the first time that Indigenous peoples in the country have a direct means to represent their views in government, The Big Issue Australia travel to Norway to see how a similar model shifted the cultural dial.
On 14 October, Australians will head to the polls to vote on the recognition of First Nations people in the Constitution. This move is not without precedent – the Sámi people in Norway have had their own Parliament for 34 years.
The Sámi are the Indigenous people of the Sápmi region, which stretches across northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. There are estimated to be around 80,000 to 100,000 Sámi people across this land.
This article first appeared in The Big Issue Australia, a magazine sold on the streets of Australia by people who have limited other ways of earning an income.