Indigenous recognition given more time

Aboriginal leaders admit the push for constitutional recognition of indigenous people needs more time to gain momentum.

The federal government has decided to shelve for two or three years a referendum on the issue, blaming a lack of community awareness for the decision.

The delay has the support of the coalition, Australian Greens and many indigenous leaders.

However, independent MP Rob Oakeshott said there was an urgent need to deal with indigenous recognition.

"In our lead document in this country there are elements of race that need to go," he said.

The government instead will ask parliament to pass an Act of Recognition as an interim measure before the end of the year.

Federal Labor had agreed to hold a referendum before the next election as part of a deal it made with the Greens and Mr Oakeshott following the 2010 election.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott rejected suggestions the coalition was holding up plans for a referendum, saying it was committed to recognition.

"My anxiety is the time might now be too short for this matter to be handled in the current term of parliament," he told reporters.

"Everyone has now agreed that we wouldn't really want a matter like this to be dealt with in the hyper-partisan atmosphere of an election campaign."

GREENS ACCEPT NEED FOR DELAY

Greens leader Christine Milne criticised both Mr Abbott and Prime Minister Julia Gillard for the decision but acknowledged there was insufficient support for the referendum at this time.

"On that basis, I don't think it would be a good idea to put it to a vote because we want it to succeed," Senator Milne said.

The National Congress of Australia's First Peoples said a referendum could only be held when it had met the expectations of indigenous peoples and had the best chance of success.

"This proposal appears to be one way to keep this issue on any future government's agenda," spokeswoman Jody Broun said.

Liberal MP Ken Wyatt, the first Aboriginal person elected to the lower house, said the push for recognition needed "time and space to gain momentum".

"I'm optimistic it will happen in the next three years," he said.

Mr Wyatt, who was on the government's expert panel on constitutional recognition, said pushing out the referendum beyond 2015 would be unfair to all Australians.

Another panel member, Alison Page, said the decision reflected how important it was to get it right.

"To fail at the referendum would be abominable," she said, adding it was not dead in the water.

Ms Page said the campaign needed time to build towards a successful yes vote.

Expert panel co-chairman Pat Dodson noted politicians were trying to solve a 200-year-old problem and that was always going to be difficult to achieve in one three-year term.

"I'm quite supportive of the view (a delay is necessary)," Prof Dodson told Sky News.

"If we as Australians are going to get this right the Australian population needs to be assisted along the way to understand the complexities of the proposals ... and the process of a referendum."

Prof Dodson, often referred to as the father of reconciliation, said he'd now like to see cross-party support for the Act of Recognition.

"This is such an important matter that whoever wins the next election this ought to be taken outside the normal political cut and thrust and dealt with from the view: What's the best way to advance the Australian nation?"