Top Australian sporting bodies endorse Indigenous referendum as support dips

A depiction of the Australian Aboriginal Flag is seen on a window sill at the home of indigenous Muruwari elder Rita Wright, a member of the "Stolen Generations", in Sydney, Australia, January 19, 2021. Picture taken January 19, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Two of Australia's top football codes on Thursday backed a proposal to constitutionally recognise the country's Indigenous population in a referendum, as latest opinion polls show public support for the government-backed plan dipping.

In a full page statement published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Rugby Australia (RA) said the proposed referendum is "too important a contest to watch in silence".