Yes vote will mean no more lost generations

FOR Peter Dawson, 22, it is not about his past, it's about the future.

Peter Dawson

FOR Peter Dawson, 22, it is not about his past, it's about the future.

One of just three Aboriginal pupils in his school year in Fremantle, he grew up listening to Australia's first peoples being mocked in playground jokes.

Further back, the Wiradjuri schoolchildren of his grandparents' generation were split up by their state government and divided between institutional homes.

Yet today, the co-chairman of the Indigenous Youth Engagement Council is looking forward, campaigning for young Australians to vote for change to the country's Constitution at a referendum within two years.

"We're the majority. Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are under 25. We're the generation that is going to need this most," Mr Dawson said.

"Yes, it's recognising our shared history but it's about recognising a new relationship that is going to lead into the future."

The 2012 indigenous law student of the year moved from Fremantle to Sydney this year to complete his studies and campaign for formal recognition of Australia's indigenous people in the Constitution.

While a parliamentary committee is still debating the wording of the question, he is convinced of the importance of the answer, and that other young Australians feel the same.

The challenge, he said, is educating people before they cast their vote. "That's a conversation we've got to have. Even as basic as 'What is a constitution? What does it do? Why is it important for us to be recognised in that?' "

At present, the Constitution "still allows for racism".

As a result, "the daily experience for many young indigenous people is racism, a lack of positive recognition," he said.

For this reason, Mr Dawson was not surprised at -- and does not blame -- the 13-year-old girl who publicly abused AFL star Adam Goodes on the weekend.

"I think younger people can take on views without really questioning them and I don't know how much you can blame young people. It's about the society and the environment they grew up in."

The girl has since apologised, saying she will "think twice" in future. For every Australian, Mr Dawson said, deciding how to vote in the referendum will mean confronting their own assumptions and those of the society in which they live.