Federal election 2016: Mundine, Peris fear for recognition vote

The distraction of a federal election campaign poses a major hurdle for the troubled Referendum Council’s timetable.

Indigenous Advisory Council head Warren Mundine. ‘That’s going to make it very difficult.’ Picture: Kym Smith.

Indigenous leaders have warned that a double-dissolution election poses a grave threat to hopes of hitting a May 27, 2017, deadline for a referendum on constitutional recognition.

Indigenous Advisory Council head Warren Mundine, Labor senator Nova Peris and National Congress of First Peoples chief executive Geoff Scott said yesterday that the distraction of an election campaign posed a major hurdle for the troubled Referendum Council’s timetable.

Mr Mundine said that, given the slow start made by the ­council, appointed four months ago by Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten, but with little to show publicly for its efforts, it was “probably ­unrealistic” for it to meet its June 30 reporting deadline. “With an election campaign on, that’s going to make it very difficult; there’s no doubt about that,” Mr Mundine said.

Council co-chairman Mark Leibler denied the expected July 2 poll would interfere with the council’s work, even though internal documents show it had hoped to launch a high-profile digital platform to promote engagement and awareness on April 18 — the day on which parliament has now been recalled to debate controversial industrial relations bills.

“There’s bipartisan support for the principle of constitutional recognition and I don’t believe that the election would either ­interfere with or obstruct the process that we need to engage in,” Mr Leibler said.

But Senator Peris said that, while such an election might not affect the politics of a referendum, “it may have an effect on the timing of the consultation process and of the referendum itself” — and that this would simply have to be ­accepted. “I have said many times that this process cannot and must not be rushed,” Senator Peris said. “This referendum cannot fail.”

Mr Scott said that while the congress had always opposed ­adhering to the symbolism of the May 27 date — 50 years after the 1967 referendum on Aboriginal rights — the election campaign had probably dealt that timeline a death blow. “An early campaign for a ­potential double-dissolution elect­ion mitigates against the pos­sibility of any proper deliberation on the matter at hand,” Mr Scott said.

Tanya Hosch, joint director of the Recognise campaign and a member of the 16-person ­Referendum Council, cautioned against allowing momentum for constitutional change to dissipate. “Constitutional recognition was promised almost a decade ago and has been called for since the 1930s, but has faced many ­delays,” she said. “Whether the election is a double dissolution or not, we need to continue to work hard for a 2017 referendum.

“There is strong community expectation that there will be a referendum next year, with more than 289,000 Australians signed on to the Recognise campaign in support of constitutional ­recognition.”

Aboriginal sovereignty campaigner Tauto Sansbury pledged to fight against constitutional recognit­ion because it could delay an eventual treaty. “Is this going to be another feel-good factor that gets us 10 or 20 more years behind the eight ball? I think it will be,” Mr Sansbury said.

Mr Mundine, a treaty supporter, acknowledged growing grassroots support for a treaty, but denied there was an either/or choice on the matter.

He said the main challenge was striking a ­balance between what Aboriginal leaders wanted and what the rest of the nation would accept.