Most want original cultures celebrated

A MAJORITY now say it is important to recognise and celebrate the contribution of indigenous Australians.

A MAJORITY now say it is important to recognise and celebrate the contribution of indigenous Australians as something that makes the country unique.

An Auspoll survey conducted in the second half of last year -- obtained by The Weekend Australian -- reveals that 58 per cent feel indigenous Australia is an important aspect of our national identity to celebrate and safeguard.

In his election campaign launch Tony Abbott promised to devote his efforts to recognising indigenous Australians in the Constitution.

Attorney-General George Brandis said the Coalition would not ignore the proposals made by the expert panel Labor set up as part of the referendum process.

The 22-member panel recommended the Constitution be altered to remove racist sections and to create a power for the "advancement" of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders and the protection of their language and culture.

Leading recognition campaigner Tanya Hosch, one of the new generation of advocates working with Aboriginal leaders including Patrick Dodson and Lowitja O'Donoghue, told The Weekend Australian the survey was a further sign that Australia was ready to recognise indigenous Australians in the Constitution.

"If you think about where Australian attitudes on this question would have been even just a few decades ago, it wouldn't have been anywhere close to that," she said.

"But particularly over the course of the last decade, I think we've seen a growing appreciation among Australians that the first cultures of our country, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, are the very heart of our national identity. It's what came first."

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians feel even more strongly that their cultures should be recognised and celebrated as something that makes Australia unique, with 82 per cent support.

Mr Abbott used his New Year's Day message to urge a conversation among Australians about recognising indigenous Australians in the Constitution. There is also wide cross-party support in the federal parliament for the project.

A joint select committee chaired by Liberal MP Ken Wyatt and Labor senator Nova Peris has been tasked with consulting over the course of this year on the model and wording.

For the first time in the nation's history, two Aborigines will head a parliamentary committee.

Meanwhile the Recognise movement will return to the road in March, as young recognition campaigners travel from town to town to build further grassroots support for a referendum.

The recognition relay will resume on March 10 from Fremantle and cover the southwest of Western Australia, before heading north to Queensland.