Bill Shorten warns Tony Abbott of no backroom deals on recognition

BILL Shorten and Tony Abbott cannot “work out behind closed doors” the question to determine how to recognise indigenous people.

Philip Benwell yesterday. Picture: James Croucher

Bill Shorten says he and Tony Abbott cannot “work out behind closed doors” the timing and question to determine how Australia should change the Constitution to recognise indigenous people.

In a statement to The Australian, the Opposition Leader also says there needs to be consensus on the timing of a referendum and its content, and he does not believe that has been achieved.

It comes after Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda challenged the Prime Minister to stop “drifting” on the issue and find a “political solution”.

“We’ve sort of just been drifting. The Prime Minister should call a group of people together to start working on this, get down to the nuts and bolts about the model and the timeframe,’’ Mr Gooda said. “I still think it is possible to have it before the election, but we have to move now.”

Mr Shorten said the sooner an agreement was achieved, the ­better. “It is critical that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have their voice heard before any decision is finalised,” he said. “This isn’t just a decision for Tony ­Abbott and I to work out behind closed doors. The timing and the nature of the change must involve Aboriginal leaders as well as the wider community.”

The national chairman of the Australian Monarchist League has also written to Mr Abbott complaining that the group has not been consulted about changing the Constitution. Philip Benwell writes that he is opposed to a constitutional convention, which another group, Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, have asked Mr Abbott to hold.

That group’s head, David Flint, has asked Mr Abbott to involve the public “from the beginning”.

Mr Benwell says that as a result of Mr Abbott’s call at a meeting of “another organisation” for it to support proposals for constitutional recognition, the media — and consequently the public — “have simply interpreted your message as though it was to ­monarchists”.

“The Australian Monarchist League has, as a consequence, been receiving a tirade of communications from concerned citizens thinking that your comments were directed towards us,’’ he writes. “It would have been helpful if your office had let us know of your intentions so that we could have been better prepared to handle the many inquiries directed towards us. At this point of time we have no official position on recognition and are waiting to see the detail of any proposed change.”

Mr Abbott is understood to believe the referendum should take place in 2017 .