Indigenous plebiscite on recognition a must, politicians told

Indigenous leaders have called on political leaders to honour their request for a series of conventions among First Australians.

Aboriginal senator Nova Peris said the indigenous-only conventions had also been recommended by a parliamentary inquiry. Picture: David Geraghty

Indigenous leaders have called on political leaders to honour their request for a series of conventions among First Australians, saying it is a critical first step on the path to achieving constitutional recognition.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait ­Islander delegates to Monday’s historic summit in Sydney called for conventions to be held exclusively for indigenous people before wider community consultations took place. But this recommendation was excluded from the ­official communique released following the meeting, which instead pledged to establish a series of “community conferences”.

Aboriginal senator Nova Peris said the indigenous-only conventions had also been recommended by a parliamentary inquiry and were critical for ensuring a successful referendum.

“This is essential in forming the best possible solution to this process, and consulting Aboriginal people from all over the country,” Senator Peris told The Australian.

“Aboriginal people need to have ownership over this issue. They need to have direct input into the process and the result. They need to fully understand what is being proposed and why.”

Senator Peris’s comments come after Cape York Institute leader Noel Pearson said the discussion process was “redundant” because Tony Abbott and Bill Shorten “had really decided the parameters of the process”. “I would have preferred to stay in Cape York in my beach house with my kids and sent a cardboard cut-out down to this meeting today, but I couldn’t do that,” Mr Pearson told ABC radio. “It was very beautifully finessed, might I say. Both of them did a very good job of pretending to listen.”

Aboriginal professor Marcia Langton yesterday praised the “courage” of the ­nation’s leaders in holding the summit with indigenous Australians. “I think the Prime Minister and Bill Shorten were very honourable and courageous to share their views with us and to indicate to us their preferred way forward,” she said.

But there was disappointment within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership that there was no clear commitment to hold indigenous conventions.

“People at the meeting expected that there would be a commitment to indigenous conventions and because the communique didn’t clarify that, people are very concerned about the difficulty of having the Aboriginal voice heard,” Professor Langton said. “Because so many of our people have been marginalised and feel voiceless, and it’s getting to the point where people feel that being adequately consulted and having a say and being heard is very difficult work.”

She said she believed those at the meeting displayed an admirable degree of maturity and ­commitment to moving the recognition push forward. “I thought everybody at the meeting was of one mind about what we wanted on general principles,” she said.

Kirstie Parker, co-chair of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, said there was a “disconnect” between indigenous and political leaders about the way forward. “The Prime Minister and Mr Shorten’s statement said that they listened and they heard. If they did then we need a demonstration of that,” she said. “What we asked for was not picked up in what was announced.”

Public law professor Megan Davis, who was also at the meeting, said she believed Mr Pearson’s disappointment reflected that of other participants who had a strong desire to see genuine indigenous consultation on the referendum issue.