Australia's lower house has unanimously passed a bill recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples as the country's first inhabitants.
Aborigines are the most disadvantaged Australians, with indigenous children twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday as other children and Aboriginal men estimated to die 11.5 years earlier than other males.
They are believed to have numbered around one million at the time of British settlement in 1788, but there are now just 470,000 out of a total population of 22 million in Australia.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Bill was passed unanimously by the House of Representatives and paves the way for formal constitutional recognition
The move came on the fifth anniversary of the historic apology to indigenous Australians for past injustices.
Indigenous Australians watching from the public galleries met the passage of the bill, which enjoyed bipartisan support, with applause.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the vote was a sign the parliament was committed to righting wrongs committed against Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in the past.Prime Minister Julia Gillard had originally intended a referendum on amending the constitution to recognise Aborigines as Australia's original inhabitants to accompany this year's national elections, but shelved the plan citing low public support.
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