Delay in indigenous recognition ballot 'a boon for Yes vote'

DELAYING a referendum on recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution has been a boon for the Yes vote.

Journey to Recognition

SOCIAL justice commissioner Mick Gooda says delaying a referendum on changing the Constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has been a boon for the Yes vote.

Mr Gooda yesterday said the parliament under federal Labor had been too volatile to allow the reasons for constitutional change to be properly canvassed across the broader community.

The respected indigenous leader, a member of the expert panel on constitutional reform that was appointed by the Gillard government, arrived in Adelaide yesterday as part of the Journey to Recognition.

The journey, a national relay inspired by former AFL champion, Michael Long's Walk to Canberra nine years ago, aims to build support for a Yes vote at a referendum within two years. "It's about building an understanding of what the Australian people will be asked to vote on," Mr Gooda said yesterday.

"Once we get through this election, the date for the referendum is going to be set, so this is really a way to raise awareness of the issue around recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution.

"We understood when we gave our report to the prime minister in January last year that if they didn't start addressing it within six months then we wouldn't have enough time to do it.

"For me, it's really about getting it right and getting it done."

He said we had just seen one of the most volatile parliaments in the country's history. "But this is about people coming together, with bipartisan support. We have that support at the moment and we want to see it continue after the election.

"A new parliament will give us a platform to go forward."

Tony Abbott walked the first short leg of the route in May, along the Yarra River in Melbourne, while Kevin Rudd has promised to continue the commitment shown by Julia Gillard, who had praised the journey as an important grassroots campaign that would help build momentum for constitutional reform.

This bipartisanship was on show again yesterday, with South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and Liberal Opposition Leader Steven Marshall marching together at ceremonies in Victoria Square and the Festival Centre.

The journey's arrival in Adelaide yesterday from Melbourne marked the end of its first 700km leg.

It will wind through every state and territory, ending in the heat and colour of the Garma Festival in Arnhem Land next month.