Prime Minister Gillard’s has announced the Government’s intention to hold a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in the Australian Constitution.

Prime Minister Gillard said that the Government would establish an expert panel, comprising Indigenous and community leaders, constitutional experts and parliamentary members, to lead a national discussion and broad consultation during 2011 to build consensus on the recognition of Indigenous people in the Constitution.

The reform comes two-and-a-half years after then-prime minister Kevin Rudd offered a national apology to the Stolen Generations. Since then, the Government has articulated a vision to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

In her announcement, Gillard said that recognition would demonstrate that Australia was a country united in acknowledging the unique and special place of its first peoples.

“The national apology to Indigenous Australians, in particular the Stolen Generations, helped build a bridge of respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It helped generate the trust and respect needed for closing the gap.

“The recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution is the next step on that journey.”

The reform has been welcomed by human rights organisation, Oxfam, which has a 30-year history of working with Indigenous communities.

Oxfam Australia Executive Director Andrew Hewett said that recognising the unique place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in our nation is a crucial foundation for building a fairer society for our nation’s First Peoples.

“This referendum will give Australians around the country the chance to have an important national conversation about how we create a fairer country for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People,” Mr Hewett said.

“Across all measures of disadvantage, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People fare worse than non-Indigenous Australians and we need a strong foundation to address this.

“Constitutional change is more than just a symbolic gesture – it is fundamental to achieving true equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and has the potential to make a real difference to their lives.”

However, not everyone has responded positively to the announcement, with Indigenous activist and aboriginal community worker Sam Watson labeling the announcement a political ploy by the Government in an interview with national news agency Australian Associated Press (AAP).

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