Treaty talk a danger to indigenous referendum, says Ken Wyatt

Ken Wyatt has warned constitutional recognition would ‘fall off’ the agenda if the debate ­expanded to consider treaties.

Ken Wyatt says talk of treaties only complicates the path to a referendum. Picture: Kym Smith

Aboriginal Liberal MP Ken Wyatt has warned constitutional recognition would “fall off” the agenda if the reconciliation debate ­expanded to consider treaties, lashing Bill Shorten for taking a “step away” from the bipartisan commitment to change the ­nation’s official birth certificate.

Mr Wyatt, who chaired the parliamentary inquiry into constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ­people, said a proposal by Cape York leader Noel Pearson to combine a treaty-like process with constitutional recognition only complicated the path to a referendum.

At the weekend’s Garma Festival Mr Pearson called for a “hook” to be inserted into the Constitution to deliver further reforms aimed at closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, such as a settlement process likely to see First Nation bodies enter into treaties across the country.

Malcolm Turnbull joined Mr Wyatt in urging politicians and ­indigenous leaders not to “overcomplicate” the referendum after the Opposition Leader reaffirmed his support for treaties to be part of the mix with constitutional recognition.

“I’m surprised the Leader of the Opposition has done this,” Mr Wyatt said. “It is a step away and is a step into a new direction.

“I’m not opposing those who want a debate around treaty but we live within a country that is ­extremely conservative when it comes to referendum reform. We need to take little steps in order to achieve the change that was committed by four prime ministers.”

Mr Wyatt, the first Aboriginal man to be elected to the House of Representatives, said any move that took away from the agreement between the Coalition, Labor and the Greens to pursue recognition of indigenous Australians in the foundation document would risk turning it into a ­“ho-hum moment”.

“(There would be) people then saying the momentum that is being gained in the debate may become something that falls off and then the majority of states, the majority of people don’t support it,” he said.

“We’re going to have to make a choice: that constitutional recognition is still on the table and we await the outcome of the Referendum Council deliberations and look at their report or alter­natively say ‘let’s put this on hold for a period of time and let’s have discussions that go into the future around the more complex issues that Noel Pearson describes as the ‘hook’.”

The Prime Minister said he would meet Mr Shorten soon to discuss several issues including constitutional recognition and cautioned against “over complicating” the process after leading the charge for a republic at the failed 1999 referendum.

“Changing the Constitution is not for the faint-hearted,” he told ABC Radio. “If you want to change the Constitution you have got to be very careful that you don’t overcomplicate it or create an environment where you chip away at that very high level of consensus you need.”

Mr Shorten rejected claims his push for a treaty-like process could harm the case for constitutional recognition, saying he and Mr Turnbull wanted the ­reform.

“The problem is that we see the right-wing puppet masters of the Liberal Party trying to seize upon every comment, trying to seize upon every alternative view to their own narrow view of the world to tie Mr Turnbull’s hands together,” he said.