Indigenous Aussies want recognition: poll

28 Jul 2011, 7:12 am   -   Source: AAP
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People in the NT community of Wadeye. (AAP)

People in the NT community of Wadeye. (AAP)

Constitutional recognition is the top priority of indigenous Australians, a new survey says.

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Being recognised in the constitution is the top priority of indigenous Australians, a new survey says.

National Congress of Australia's First Peoples surveyed 600 of its members from across Australia.

The survey found that 88 per cent of people thought it was very important Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receive recognition in the constitution.

The majority of those surveyed wanted the constitution to acknowledge indigenous people's "spiritual, social, cultural and economic relationship with traditional lands and waters."

Recognising indigenous people as the "original custodians of the land" also attracted strong support from those surveyed.

Lindon Coombes, head of the national congress, said the challenge now was "to turn these voices from ideas to actions".

Labor has promised to hold a national referendum on the constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on or before the next federal election.

An expert panel is travelling around the country talking to people about how this should be done and what they want it to say.

Options include adding a preamble or inserting a section in the body of the constitution.

The panel, led by indigenous academic Professor Patrick Dodson and co-chair of Reconciliation Australia Mark Leibler, is due to report back to the government in December.

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Your Comments

Nothing's really changed

Jack - from near Bass Strait, 10 months ago

As long as public servants in the existing model control the programs, housing and other government funding proported to be for bettering the health and lives of Indigenous People of Australia then nothing will change. The process is as flawed as the home insulation program and the building of big halls for declining small country schools. Can't understand why the press has not beed hounding the process on a regular basis and exposing the inefficiencies.

The true Australians

Deborah - from Ettalong beach, 10 months ago

The aboriginal people are the true Australians and white people have taken that away!! I don't understand why only the Australian flag is recognized, the aboriginal flag should be right up there with it!!

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