SYDNEY, May 31 (Reuters) - Legislation to hold a referendum to recognise Australia's Indigenous people in the constitution cleared its first parliamentary hurdle on Wednesday as it was passed in the House of Representatives. Aboriginal people, making up about 3.2% of Australia's near 26 million population, track below national averages on most socio-economic measures and are not mentioned in the 122-year-old constitution. "We're one step closer to holding a referendum on constitutional recognition through the Voice in 2023," Linda Burney, the Minister for Indigenous Australians said in a tweet after the outcome of the vote was announced. The bill will still need to go through the senate next month, after which the government will set a date for the polls. A successful referendum would finally give constitutional recognition to Australia's Indigenous people, who are one of the most incarcerated people in the world.

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Persons: Linda Burney, Praveen Menon, Christopher Cushing Organizations: SYDNEY, Representatives, National Party, Liberal, Indigenous, Thomson Locations: Torres, Australia's