SENATOR NOVA PERIS OAM

SENATOR FOR THE NORTHERN TERRITORY

SPEECH TO THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTYS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
CHAPTER 10 CONSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITION, ABORIGINAL & TORRES
STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES
MELBOURNE EXHIBITION AND CONVENTION CENTRE, MELBOURNE
FRIDAY, 24 JULY 2015
***CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***
Delegates Constitutional Recognition is an extremely important issue for all Australians
especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
However it needs to be said that it is difficult for my brothers and sisters to find the
time to consider the importance of Constitutional Recognition when they are facing
serious and daily infringements of their basic human rights.
Australias First Nations peoples are wary of the so-called Prime Minister for
Indigenous Australians who has consistently and repeatedly made ignorant, illinformed and disgraceful comments about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples and our cultures.
He has ruthlessly cut services through a massive decrease in funding under his
confusing and unfair Indigenous Advancement Strategy; and lets not forget the
attempted closure of remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia; and the
destruction and removal of protection for Aboriginal sacred sites.
But the Prime Minister now has the opportunity to hit the reset button and to take a
much more consultative approach on Constitutional Recognition.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, as well as the majority of other
Australians, have made it clear that they are not interested in the symbolic form of
constitutional change that appears to be direction in which Tony Abbott is heading.

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Meaningless and symbolic constitutional change is not the way forward.

I am pleased that Labor supports the proposals put forward last week by Aboriginal
leaders Pat Dodson, Noel Pearson, Kirsty Parker and Megan Davis for an
independent consultation process including a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander convention.
I cannot stress enough the importance of this independent process.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples must be given the opportunity to
properly discuss and debate the various models and alternative proposals amongst
themselves - so that they are fully informed of all the issues and then make up their
own minds of how they wish to proceed on Constitutional Recognition. And in doing
so, this will enable all Australians to be informed of these issues as well.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples must be major players in this
endeavour because they, too, are critical to its success.
I believe the Labor Party can provide the strength of leadership to drive this change.
This is a crucial time in Australian history, and we have this one chance to seize this
opportunity with both hands, and make meaningful steps towards closing the gap,
and towards changing the decades old narrative of politically driven Indigenous
policies and practices.
We have the opportunity to form a real partnership, on equal terms, with Aboriginal
and Torres Strait peoples.
We have the opportunity to right a wrong!
And if we succeed in fixing this long, outstanding matter then this will be an
achievement we can all own and be proud of now for our future generations.
And most importantly, we will be upholding the principles that have made this great
Labor Party what it is today access and equity to education, health, justice,
workers rights, fairness, leadership and democracy.
I support the motion. Thank you.
ENDS

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