Recognition message lost on remote groups: Linda Burney

Linda Burney says some people in very remote communities know nothing of the constitutional recognition debate.

Murray Watt, Linda Burney, Warren Snowdon, Sharon Claydon and Patrick Dodson arrive at Wiluna.

Labor indigenous Australians spokeswoman Linda Burney will appeal to Ken Wyatt to involve very remote communities in the constitutional recognition debate, after hearing first-hand that some indigenous people know nothing about the issue and want to be part of the conversation.

Ms Burney and four of her Labor colleagues spent the week driving through Central Australia, from Port Hedland in Western Australia to Kaltukatjara in the Northern Territory, in a bid to give voice to those who rarely engage with politicians.

“At Wil­una (in WA), people had not heard about it at all,” she said.

“That was a very big meeting and some very senior people there within the community, yet they hadn’t heard about it. They didn’t know about the Uluru statement.

“Their concrete view is if this discussion is going on, we need to be part of the discussion, and the view of the people in the Pilbara needs to be considered.

“The Pilbara is a very distinct area and you could have some sort of big community gathering. Not to be run in a European style; let the people … organise it.”

Mr Wyatt, the Indigenous Australians Minister, on Thursday acknowledged there were almost 800,000 indigenous voices to be considered as he embarks on a co-design process to draft a model to recognise indigenous Australians in the Constitution.

“The Morrison government is committed to a co-design process so we ensure we have the best possible framework in place to hear those voices at the local, ­regional and national level,” he told the 19th annual Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture at Charles Darwin University.

“This is about ensuring indigenous voices are heard as loudly as any other Australian voice is.”

The Labor group, which includes WA senator Patrick Dodson, NSW MP Sharon Claydon, northern Australia spokesman Murray Watt and assistant indigenous Australians spokesman Warren Snowdon, is using two four-wheel drives and trailers loaded with camping gear, food and swags for their road trip, but are camping only part of the time.

Ms Burney said the removal of children, land rights, interactions with mining companies, youth and health issues and a lack of clean water to deliver dialysis were also raised as key issues on the trip.

“In Port Hedland, women asked to have a separate meeting with me and Sharon to talk about youth issues and early intervention,” she said.

“Instead of (funding) being directed into the youth justice system, to have alternatives for that on country and that would also ­alleviate self-harm and suicide. There is Aboriginal land and (the women are looking at) how you use that to take kids out on country to give them a really strong sense of identity, of culture.”