Symbolic change not enough for Australian first people

Transcript

Torres Strait Islanders say they will not give up in their fight for recognition in Australia's constitution.

The islands' indigenous leaders joined with aboriginal leaders in a meeting with Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the Opposition Leader Bill Shorten last week to seek recognition and the removal of what they see as discriminatory clauses in the document.

The co-chair of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, Kirstie Parker, says the meeting was both encouraging and disappointing.

She told Koroi Hawkins the fact that it was held at all was an important step.  

KIRSTIE PARKER: Well I think it was an important step along the way, It wasn't a first step as I said, this issue has been bubbling away quite intensively for maybe five or six years in its current incarnation so we are in some way down the road but there hasn't really been an opportunity for any Australians to really look at what has been proposed. We've had a process, and it speaks for itself, where there's been an attempt to convince the Australian public that the constitution needs to be changed, per se, but in terms of the detail there has not been an opportunity to look at a particular model, or a particular proposal. As I mentioned there have been various committees that have recommended some ways forward and all of them have looked at nearly three main issues, the first is recognition of Aboriginal, and Torres Strait island people, and their cultures and connection to this country. The removal of some clearly existing racist provisions in the constitution including one for example that allows people to be prohibited or prevented from voting by states on the basis of their race, and also to provide some sort of protection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait people especially but generally for Australians against racial discrimination. They're the three kind of issues emerging throughout this process, some of them are more contentious than others, I think the removal of racist provisions hasn't been invoked, is almost a no-brainer, the one that allows people to be prevented from voting based on their race has very little disagreements but then when you move to something like, can we enshrine in the constitution some sort of guarantee or protection against discrimination, that becomes much more contentious and this is where we're seeing some differing opinions emerging, including what is referred to the Con-cons or the Constitutional Conservatives who say preventing discrimination in the constitution would effectively amount to a bill of rights, it would place the judiciary above the supremacy of the parliament and that's not on. However that's one particular change that is quite passionately pursued by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and many other Australians.

KOROI HAWKINS: And what has come out of the meeting, where to from here?

KP: We communicated two things. One was that symbolic change will not be enough, symbolic change alone. It has to be substantive reforms and one of the things in that is to provide some sort of voice to people that are seeking protection from discrimination. The other thing we said was there has to be a process that enables our peoples, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to talk about these issues amongst ourselves we need to have very clear accessible information. We need to understand the legal and other ramifications of proceeding and then be able to come to a broad consensus about what we think will make this whole thing worthwhile proceeding with. They are the two things that we have said and we are holding firm to those. This is about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and it cannot be decided without us determining the way that it will go forward.

KH: What has the government said, has it been listening to your views is it considering them?

KP: Well immediately after the meeting we did some media and we obviously communicated those major points that I have just outlined from the perspective of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the room. The Prime Minister and the opposition leader also gave a press conference saying that it was a very constructive meeting and I don't disagree with that. But as I said it was a valuable step along the way however it was a really clear disconnect between the pronouncements made by the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader where it was agreed that there would be a additional process going forward where there would be some community conferences held. A suggestion of a referendum council that was representative of the broader Australian populations and then some sort of consideration of all of the issues perhaps leading to a national convention all of which is perhaps well and good but does not take account of our views that our people's voices have to be directly heard in this process. We have a right to information we have a right to determine amongst ourselves what will be the best way forward. That actually respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and as I say makes this a meaningful process or otherwise. So at the moment that is where we are we are hopeful that there will be some take up to the message that we communicated to the leader of the government and the leader of the opposition. And I might say the meeting, another good thing about the meeting was demonstration of the bipartisanship of the major parties in the Australian Parliament to cracking this issue I guess. But that means that both of them and also other members of parliament need to listen to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Ms Parker says one of the good things was the show of bipartisan support from two of Australia's largest parties towards tackling the issue.