Constitutional recognition still open for discussion, Aboriginal leader Pat Dodson says
7 years, 9 months ago

Constitutional recognition still open for discussion, Aboriginal leader Pat Dodson says

ABC  

Aboriginal leader and federal Labor frontbencher Pat Dodson has cautioned the Government not to "abandon" the work it has already done on constitutional recognition after yesterday's Uluru statement. Key points: Dodson says finer print in Uluru statement suggests constitutional recognition still on the table Says indigenous people pushing for new representative body because they want more control over their lives Says treaties can be enacted without constitutional change After three days of talks in central Australia, indigenous leaders yesterday released the Uluru Statement of the Heart. Senator Dodson said the delegates should be congratulated, and that the statement was "built on a fine tradition of leaders over a long period of time calling for treaties for better representation in Parliament". But Labor's assistant spokesman for Indigenous affairs said he was surprised there was still a "bit of uncertainty" about how to push forward with constitutional change.

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History of this topic

Treaty now or never? Concerns treaties will become 'political football' as Aboriginal advocates across the country call for action
1 year, 1 month ago

Treaty now or never? Concerns treaties will become 'political football' as Aboriginal advocates across the country call for action

ABC  

How best to address inequality experienced by First Nations people is again front and centre for politicians, after a long post-Voice referendum hiatus. Former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice commissioner Mick Gooda explains in simplest terms a treaty is "an agreement between two sovereign peoples". In 2017 the call was formalised when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders …

Indigenous leaders break their silence, call referendum defeat 'appalling and mean-spirited'
1 year, 5 months ago

Indigenous leaders break their silence, call referendum defeat 'appalling and mean-spirited'

ABC  

Indigenous leaders who supported the Yes case at last week’s Voice referendum have written to the prime minister saying the No vote was a “shameful victory”. Key points: The letter said the constitution belongs to "white people" and no reform of it that "includes our peoples will ever succeed" The letter attributed the historic referendum loss to a lack of …

Missed opportunity: The Hindu Editorial on the Australia referendum on giving voice to Indigenous peoples
1 year, 5 months ago

Missed opportunity: The Hindu Editorial on the Australia referendum on giving voice to Indigenous peoples

The Hindu  

In the recent Australia referendum on the Voice, a proposed body comprising members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people to advise the country’s Parliament on laws impacting this vulnerable group, voters dropped the plan by a resounding 60% margin, rejecting an opportunity to amend their constitution for the first time in almost 50 years towards a more inclusive …

Final arguments are being made before Australia’s vote Saturday to create Indigenous Voice
1 year, 5 months ago

Final arguments are being made before Australia’s vote Saturday to create Indigenous Voice

Associated Press  

CANBERRA, Australia — Opposing campaigners made their final pitches on Friday over changing the Australia’s constitution to acknowledge a place for Indigenous Australians on the eve of the nation’s first referendum in a generation. “He’s instinctively won their hearts because Australians do want better outcomes for Indigenous Australians, but he hasn’t won their minds,” Dutton told Australian Broadcasting Corp. Indigenous …

Australia Set to Hold Indigenous Rights Referendum on Oct 14
1 year, 6 months ago

Australia Set to Hold Indigenous Rights Referendum on Oct 14

News 18  

Australia will hold a historic Indigenous rights referendum on October 14, the prime minister said Wednesday, setting up a defining moment for the nation’s relationship with Aboriginal minorities. The “yes” campaign is currently trailing in the polls, sparking fears a failed referendum could tarnish Australia’s global reputation and squander a rare chance to reduce pervasive inequality. “Australians have recognised it’s …

Voice campaigner calls for overhaul of the National Indigenous Australians Agency ahead of Uluru Statement anniversary
1 year, 9 months ago

Voice campaigner calls for overhaul of the National Indigenous Australians Agency ahead of Uluru Statement anniversary

ABC  

It has been six years since the landmark gathering of Indigenous leaders in Australia's red centre, known as the Uluru Dialogue. Key points: It has been six years since the Uluru Statement from the Heart was written Campaigners have returned to Uluru to mark the anniversary ahead of the referendum later this year Some are calling for a review of …

Noel Pearson accused Peter Dutton of 'preparing the grave' to bury the Uluru Statement, after Liberals reject Voice proposal
1 year, 11 months ago

Noel Pearson accused Peter Dutton of 'preparing the grave' to bury the Uluru Statement, after Liberals reject Voice proposal

ABC  

One of Australia's most prominent Indigenous leaders, Noel Pearson, has accused Liberal leader Peter Dutton of rejecting the Voice to Parliament for his own political gain, after the federal party determined to go against its state colleagues and campaign against the Voice in a referendum. Key points: Noel Pearson says on the eve of Passover, Peter Dutton has committed a …

Noel Pearson is hopeful for Indigenous recognition through a Voice to Parliament in Boyers lecture
2 years, 4 months ago

Noel Pearson is hopeful for Indigenous recognition through a Voice to Parliament in Boyers lecture

ABC  

We are on the last leg of a long journey. We are encamped on the hinterlands of the great capitals of the Federation: Hobart, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and the nation's capital: Canberra, seeking for a majority of these states, in their own right and by a majority of the total of Australian electors, to approve an amendment to …

Push for Indigenous Voice to Parliament is about justice and unity, not identity politics, Noel Pearson says
2 years, 4 months ago

Push for Indigenous Voice to Parliament is about justice and unity, not identity politics, Noel Pearson says

ABC  

Constitutional recognition of Australia's First Nations people is "not a project of identity politics" but one of "justice, unity and inclusion", Noel Pearson has declared. Key points: First Nations lawyer, academic and activist Noel Pearson has given the first of four lectures to be broadcast by the ABC He said without constitutional recognition for First Nations people, Australia is "missing …

Australia moves to give Indigenous people a voice to parliament
2 years, 5 months ago

Australia moves to give Indigenous people a voice to parliament

Al Jazeera  

A referendum is expected to be held as early as July 2023, but campaigners say more needs to be done to tackle inequality and injustice. Termed a “Voice to Parliament”, a “yes” vote in the referendum would constitutionally enshrine an advisory group to government made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders. “A Voice to Parliament is about drawing …

7.30: Calls for recognition of Indigenous Australians
3 years ago

7.30: Calls for recognition of Indigenous Australians

ABC  

Visuals from the outback DEBRA CORNWALL Aboriginal Australians were all but invisible in the '60s, most of them fringe dwellers forbidden to travel, paid in meat instead of dollars. Applause DEBRA CORNWALL It was in this climate, Faith Bandler, a daughter of a South Sea Islander slave, began pressing a simple proposition for equal citizenship rights — a decade-long campaign …

Aboriginal deaths in custody reflect the poor health of Australia's democracy
3 years, 11 months ago

Aboriginal deaths in custody reflect the poor health of Australia's democracy

ABC  

Thirty years after the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Royal Commission, is it time we admit that reconciliation is failing? Let's try another ‘R' word: rejection The federal government rejected the Uluru Statement from the Heart which called for a voice enshrined in the constitution to allow Indigenous communities greater input into government policy. In 1987, the death of 28-year-old Lloyd …

Indigenous constitutional referendum 'unlikely' before the next election, Minister says
4 years, 9 months ago

Indigenous constitutional referendum 'unlikely' before the next election, Minister says

ABC  

It is all but confirmed Australians will not vote on constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians before the next federal election, with the minister responsible saying it is now "unlikely" to happen. Key points: Last year the Government promised a referendum on constitutional recognition before the next election Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt now says that is unlikely in this term …

Reconciliation Week highlights how Indigenous injustice links to global fault lines
4 years, 9 months ago

Reconciliation Week highlights how Indigenous injustice links to global fault lines

ABC  

What do coronavirus, the rise of authoritarianism and the retreat of democracy have to do with Indigenous reconciliation in Australia? The Uluru Statement from the Heart proposed a rejuvenated Australian identity where we "can walk in two worlds". Political leaders stoke a virulent nationalism by perpetuating narratives of grievance: Vladimir Putin laments the end of Soviet empire and accuses the …

There's bipartisan support for constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians but how can it be delivered?
5 years, 8 months ago

There's bipartisan support for constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians but how can it be delivered?

ABC  

Vocal members of the Coalition have raced to talk down the idea of the constitution guaranteeing Indigenous Australians a say over their own affairs, as envisioned in the "voice to parliament" proposal. Delegates surprised some within the government when they strongly supported the "voice to parliament" concept — including an Indigenous advisory body in the constitution to comment on policies …

Australia’s moral legitimacy depends on recognising Indigenous sovereignty
5 years, 8 months ago

Australia’s moral legitimacy depends on recognising Indigenous sovereignty

ABC  

One of the most important, and fascinating, aspects of the debate about Aboriginal rights in the last three decades revolves around the legal personality of the Aboriginal polity ― by which I mean the recognition of that social complex that is sometimes called sovereignty. The calls for a treaty go to the heart of the juridical denial in Australian case …

Treaty's value questioned by Indigenous elders, but recognition of Australia's first people important
5 years, 8 months ago

Treaty's value questioned by Indigenous elders, but recognition of Australia's first people important

ABC  

This year's NAIDOC Week theme is Voice. Key points: Indigenous Australians have a long history of intertribal treaties, with more than 500 nations across the country traditionally observing protocols for each other's land Significant landmarks have long been used as visual tools to maintain order between groups upholding treaties For some Indigenous elders, a treaty is less important than Australians …

The Uluru Statement from Heart, one year on: Can a First Nations Voice yet be heard?
6 years, 9 months ago

The Uluru Statement from Heart, one year on: Can a First Nations Voice yet be heard?

ABC  

EDITOR'S NOTE: One year ago, an unprecedented gathering of Indigenous elders and academics, delegates and activists, held out an invitation to non-indigenous Australians to join with them in a process of truth-telling and political attentiveness. * A voice, not a veto Shireen Morris, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Melbourne University Law School One year on from the historic achievement of the Uluru …

Indigenous recognition: Turnbull Government's rejection of Uluru Statement from the heart indefensible
7 years, 4 months ago

Indigenous recognition: Turnbull Government's rejection of Uluru Statement from the heart indefensible

ABC  

How can I possibly find the words to respond to the Turnbull Government's rejection of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Referendum Council's recommendation for an Indigenous voice to Parliament? The Uluru process, being the dialogues held with more than a thousand Indigenous people across the nation, and the Uluru Convention, were historic in both scope and resulting …

Indigenous leader says 'Parliament has failed nation', months on from Uluru summit
7 years, 4 months ago

Indigenous leader says 'Parliament has failed nation', months on from Uluru summit

ABC  

The head of the Northern Land Council is demanding answers from the Prime Minister after the Federal Government decided against setting up an Indigenous advisory body - a key recommendation of the Referendum Council. "I think the Parliament's failed the nation in terms of providing the requisite level of leadership here, and I think Prime Minister Turnbull needs to explain …

Constitutional recognition: Australia's founding document should not embody 'racist past', Pat Dodson says
7 years, 9 months ago

Constitutional recognition: Australia's founding document should not embody 'racist past', Pat Dodson says

ABC  

Labor senator and Aboriginal leader Pat Dodson is demanding "the stubborn stains in our racist Constitution" be removed. Key points: Council's convention last month called for new representative body Opposition frontbench calls for leaders not to discard 2012 recommendations Pat Dodson says Australia cannot move forward while founding document "embodies racist past" The government-funded Referendum Council will next week deliver …

Symbolic constitutional recognition off the table after Uluru talks, Indigenous leaders say
7 years, 9 months ago

Symbolic constitutional recognition off the table after Uluru talks, Indigenous leaders say

ABC  

The result is one few on the sidelines saw coming — mere symbolic constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians has been rejected once and for all by a delegation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders from 13 regions. "I think that all of the different regions came together and participated in what was a difficult and structured agenda … it was …

Indigenous leaders call for representative body and treaties process after Uluru convention
7 years, 9 months ago

Indigenous leaders call for representative body and treaties process after Uluru convention

ABC  

Indigenous leaders from across the country have outright rejected the idea of mere recognition in the constitution, instead calling for a representative body to be enshrined in the nation's founding document and a process established working towards treaties. Key points: Constitutional recognition was "totally rejected", says Referendum Council member Uluru delegation calls for First Nations Voice enshrined in the constitution …

'We were never Australians back then': From being counted to being heard
7 years, 9 months ago

'We were never Australians back then': From being counted to being heard

ABC  

"We were outcasts; we were never Australians back then." Indigenous Australians' unique status The case won by Indigenous land rights campaigner Eddie Mabo would lead to a third of Australia coming under Native Title. Australia's history traverses the dispossession and exclusion of Indigenous people and a broader white Australia policy to keep out "coloured races", to today's general acceptance of …

Constitutional recognition: Will it mean anything to Aboriginal families?
7 years, 10 months ago

Constitutional recognition: Will it mean anything to Aboriginal families?

ABC  

For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, the complex debate over our constitution seems a world away. Key points: This week a "historic" constitutional convention is being held in Uluru — read the proposals that are on the table Noel Pearson says whatever the outcome of the meeting, "it must be substantive" Labor frontbencher Linda Burney says "the most …

Pat Dodson: Labor's new Senate nominee calls for action on 'scandalous' Indigenous incarceration rate
9 years ago

Pat Dodson: Labor's new Senate nominee calls for action on 'scandalous' Indigenous incarceration rate

ABC  

Newly nominated Labor senator Pat Dodson has called Australia's Indigenous incarceration rate "scandalous" and says it is one of the many areas in which he hopes to make a difference if he is endorsed in the casual senate vacancy left by the resignation of Joe Bullock. "It's a national indictment and a range of authorities have got to collaborate to …

Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal people 'compatible' with treaty negotiations
10 years, 2 months ago

Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal people 'compatible' with treaty negotiations

ABC  

A prominent advocate for Indigenous reconciliation in Tasmania believes recognising Aboriginal people in Australia's constitution is compatible with negotiating a treaty. "It creates no rights for Aboriginal people and it doesn't impose any obligations on government and we think at this time the Government would be better off spending its efforts to urge for a change to the date of …

Aboriginal leaders question motives behind PM Tony Abbott's push on Constitution
10 years, 3 months ago

Aboriginal leaders question motives behind PM Tony Abbott's push on Constitution

ABC  

Aboriginal leaders have questioned the motives behind Prime Minister Tony Abbott's pledge at a fundraising dinner in Sydney on Thursday to "sweat blood" for a referendum on whether to recognise Indigenous people in the Constitution. "I believe that is the wrong move and it is time the Government became sincere and really tried to do the best by the first …

Call to recognise 'first peoples' in Constitution
13 years, 2 months ago

Call to recognise 'first peoples' in Constitution

ABC  

The debate about formally recognising Indigenous Australians in the Constitution is set to flare following the release of recommendations from the expert panel advising the Government on the issue. The panel, chaired by former head of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Patrick Dodson, has set out major changes to the Constitution that would recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people …

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