Indigenous Referendum Council to miss deadline

Secret documents reveal the indigenous Referendum Council has missed its own deadlines and says it may need more time.

Referendum Council co-chair Mark Leibler says the referendum should ‘take place when it has the best prospects of success, and that could be a changeable feast’. Picture: David Geraghty

Secret documents reveal the body responsible for managing Australia’s next steps towards ­recognising indigenous people in the Constitution has missed its own deadlines and privately concede it may need more time, prompting Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten to warn against losing momentum.

The Prime Minister and ­Opposition Leader last night called on the Referendum Council not to lightly abandon a May 27, 2017, recognition referendum date, while also stressing the need to ensure consultations ahead of any vote were thorough and built widespread support, particularly among indigenous people.

Documents obtained by The Australian show the council, jointly unveiled by Mr Turnbull and Mr Shorten in December, was expected to in February ­release a discussion paper; launch a “digital platform” to promote awareness and engagement; call for public submissions; and begin parallel series of indigenous-led and “town hall style” community conferences.

Instead, it has remained ­silent. Minutes of a meeting in late January record council members agreeing to notify Mr Turnbull and Mr Shorten “further time for the final report will be required”.

By February the expected ­delivery date for that report — officially June 30 — had stretched to August, according to an “indicative timeline based on current proposals”.

A “trial convention” scheduled for March 19-21 was cancelled even as minutes of a March 3 meeting record Mr Turnbull’s anxiety that “the ­development in Victoria” — believed to reference treaty discussions — and Mr Shorten’s public commitment to a referendum on the 50th anniversary of the 1967 vote, “reflect a new timing imperative, including to demonstrate progress and outline a clear timeline to indigenous Australians”. Council co-chair Mark Leibler said the referendum should “take place when it has the best prospects of success, and that could be a changeable feast”.

“At the moment we’re working towards the 27 May 2017, but that may change,” he said. “The reason it takes time is because it’s difficult; there are strong feelings in different quarters.

“It’s probably the most difficult thing that I’ve ever tackled.”

A spokesman for the Prime Minister reiterated May 2017 was “feasible”.

“It is imperative the council’s consultations be done properly, not hastily, but in finalising its plans the council be mindful of the broader time frames, and not set aside lightly the opportunity of a 27 May 2017 referendum,” the spokesman said.

Mr Shorten agreed the process could not be rushed, but warned: “We cannot afford to risk losing vital momentum through needless delay or indecision”. “The date isn’t set in stone, but we need the urgency of a deadline,” he said. “This is simply too important to let slip.

“It’s part of the reason I worked with Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull to convene the Referendum Council, to bring new energy and clarity to the recognition process, including a community consensus on the framing of the referendum question.”

Records of the council’s activities detail strife over potential cost blowouts and control of the indigenous convention series.

“It may be worth simplifying the consultation process in order to truncate the time frames,” minutes of a March 3 meeting state.

The documents also suggest the Turnbull government may be adopting fears first voiced by former prime minister Tony Abbott that allowing a separate “indigenous-only — or even an indigenous-first — process” could interfere with “finally substituting ‘we’ for ‘them and us’”.

“The Prime Minister is very keen to receive advice from the council on opportunities for all Australians to be involved in the national discussion,” the March 3 meeting minutes say.

“The digital platform may be a start, but how do we engage indigenous Australians and the broader community in a series of opportunities for parallel engagement?”

Prominent council members have previously said they see the path to recognition as defining the minimum change acceptable to indigenous people and then selling it to the rest of the population, rather than consulting all Australians together.

Mr Leibler declined to confirm a parallel series of “approximately 20” town hall-style meetings council documents say the “government has committed to” would still go ahead.

“We’ve reached some conclusions which we will be taking to both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition,” Mr Leibler said. The council was ­established to break the deadlock between interest groups and ­refine competing referendum proposals.