No rush to indigenous amendment to Constitution
Natasha Robinson & Samantha Maiden; 25/7/08
Kevin Rudd has refused to commit to a timeline for recognising indigenous people in the Constitution despite the Liberal Party offering bipartisan support for a referendum on the issue. A day after announcing the Government would begin talks over the form and timing of a constitutional amendment to acknowledge the first Australians, the Prime Minister said Labor would not prioritise the issue and its consultations would take place “very much over time”. “What I’ve said loud and clear is that subsequent to the national apology, our first priority is closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians,” Mr Rudd said following a cabinet meeting in Darwin yesterday.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24074088-2702,00.html
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Reconciliation