Recognise: Community behind Aboriginal conventions

A grassroots movement in support­ of an indigenous-led process­ of constitutional recognition is gaining support.

Patrick Dodson was among indigenous leaders the Prime Minister wrote to. Picture: Amos Aikman

A grassroots movement in support­ of an indigenous-led process­ of constitutional recognition is gaining support across the community, in the wake of Tony Abbott’s rejection of Aboriginal conventions.

Bill Shorten continued yesterday to urge the Prime Minister to reconsider his position on conventions­ in the lead-up to a 2017 referendum, after a major split emerged between Aboriginal leaders and Mr Abbott.

This week, The Australian revealed­ a letter Mr Abbott had written to Aboriginal leaders Patrick­ Dodson, Noel Pearson, Kirstie Parker and Megan Davis rejecting their entreaty for indig­enous conventions to take place ahead of a referendum.

Instead, he wants a series of town hall-style community conferences that would incorporate indigenous consultation.

The Opposition Leader told 774 ABC Melbourne’s radio host Jon Faine yesterday: “We support having a stream of consulta­tion which is exclusively for indigenous Australians.”

He added: “I think we need to make sure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island­er people feel they have some say in this process­, which they’re empowered to own, as oppose­d to just being given to them by other people­.”

His comments came as the indige­nous leadership, which has vowed to press ahead with an independent process of indigenous conventions, held talks yesterday to plan a way forward.

Following the furious reaction to the Prime Minister’s rejection of indig­enous conventions, there was an outpouring of support for the leaders from across the communit­y, including the top end of town, with major corpor­ations pledging financial support for Aboriginal conventions.