A First Nations Voice in the Australian Constitution


Book Description

This book makes the legal and political case for Indigenous constitutional recognition through a constitutionally guaranteed First Nations voice, as advocated by the historic Uluru Statement from the Heart. It argues that a constitutional amendment to empower Indigenous peoples with a fairer say in laws and policies made about them and their rights, is both constitutionally congruent and politically achievable. A First Nations voice is deeply in keeping with the culture, design and philosophy of Australia's federal Constitution, as well as the long history of Indigenous advocacy for greater empowerment and self-determination in their affairs. Morris explores the historical, political, theoretical and international contexts underpinning the contemporary debate, before delving into the constitutional detail to craft a compelling case for change.




Australian Public Law


Book Description

Introduces students to key principles, concepts, institutions in Australian Public Law, provides solid foundation for study of constitutional & administrative law. Explained through analysis of mechanisms of power & control, including discussions of functioning of institutions of government & contemporary issues. Authors at Uni of Adelaide.




Everything You Need to Know About the Uluru Statement from the Heart


Book Description

We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future. On 26 May 2017, after a historic process of consultation, the Uluru Statement from the Heart was read out. This clear and urgent call for reform to the community from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples asked for the establishment of a First Nations Voice to Parliament protected in the constitution and a process of agreement-making and truth-telling. Voice. Treaty. Truth. What was the journey to this point? What do Australians need to know about the Uluru Statement from the Heart? And how can these reforms be achieved? Everything You Need to Know about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, written by Megan Davis and George Williams, two of Australia’s best-known constitutional experts, is essential reading on how our Constitution was drafted, what the 1967 referendum achieved, and the lead-up and response to the Uluru Statement. Importantly, it explains how the Uluru Statement offers change that will benefit the whole nation. 'This is the first authoritative book on the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a constitutional Voice. It is a must read for all Australians as the nation prepares for a referendum. It is a vitally important book written for all Australians who have accepted the Uluru invitation and are walking with us in a journey of the Australian people for a better future.’ — Patricia Anderson AO, Alyawarre woman ‘This book is the first comprehensive historical and contemporary story of the Uluru Statement and its place in the Aboriginal struggle for rights and recognition. It shines a light on the leadership of First Nations peoples. And it highlights the hopes of First Nations for democratic change using the people power of all Australians walking together and exercising our collective agency for change.’ — Sally Scales, Pitjantjatjara woman, Chair of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands Executive Board




The 1967 Referendum


Book Description

On 27 May 1967 a remarkable event occurred. An overwhelming majority of electors voted in a national referendum to amend clauses of the Australian Constitution concerning Aboriginal people. Today it is commonly regarded as a turning point in the history of relations between Indigenous and white Australians: a historic moment when citizenship rights -- including the vote -- were granted and the Commonwealth at long last assumed responsibility for Aboriginal affairs. Yet the constitutional changes entailed in the referendum brought about none of these things. "The 1967 Referendum" explores the legal and political significance of the referendum and the long struggle by black and white Australians for constitutional change. It traces the emergence of a series of powerful narratives about the Australian Constitution and the status of Aborigines, revealing how and why the referendum campaign acquired so much significance and has since become the subject of highly charged myth in contemporary Australia. Attwood and Markus's text is complemented by personal recollections and opinions about the referendum by a range of Indigenous people, and historical documents and illustrations.




Finding the Heart of the Nation


Book Description

This is a book for all Australians. Since the Uluru Statement from the Heart was formed in 2017, Thomas Mayo has travelled around the country to promote its vision of a better future for Indigenous Australians. He’s visited communities big and small, often with the Uluru Statement canvas rolled up in a tube under his arm. Through the story of his own journey and interviews with 20 key people, Thomas taps into a deep sense of our shared humanity. The voices within these chapters make clear what the Uluru Statement is and why it is so important. And Thomas hopes you will be moved to join them, along with the growing movement of Australians who want to see substantive constitutional change. Thomas believes that we will only find the heart of our nation when the First peoples – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders – are recognised with a representative Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution. ‘Thomas’s compelling work is full of Australian Indigenous voices that should be heard. Read this book, listen to them, and take action.’ – Danny Glover, actor and humanitarian




A Rightful Place


Book Description

The nation has unfinished business. After more than two centuries, can a rightful place be found for Australia’s original peoples? Soon we will all decide if and how Indigenous Australians will be recognised in the Constitution. In this essential book, several leading writers and thinkers provide a road map to recognition. Starting with the Uluru Statement from the Heart, these eloquent essays show what constitutional recognition means, and what it could make possible: a political voice, a fairer relationship and a renewed appreciation of an ancient culture. With remarkable clarity and power, they traverse law, history and culture to map the path to change. The contributors to A Rightful Place are Noel Pearson, Megan Davis, Stan Grant, Rod Little and Jackie Huggins, Damien Freeman and Nolan Hunter, Warren Mundine, and Shireen Morris. The book includes a foreword by Galarrwuy Yunupingu. A Rightful Place is edited by Shireen Morris, a lawyer and constitutional reform fellow at the Cape York Institute and researcher at Monash University.




Buraadja


Book Description

YESTERDAY Buraadja provides a powerful account of the Liberal Party's approach to Indigenous affairs. The party's record of successes and failures is frankly evaluated as an important basis for developing effective approaches to persistent problems. TODAY The problems faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today are considered through two contrasting lenses: the extremist lens of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the moderate lens of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Uluru Statement is shown to offer a modest approach to addressing problems by recognising Indigenous peoples in the Constitution, making agreements, and coming to terms with Australia's history. TOMORROW Andrew Bragg draws on liberal values to make a compelling case for national reconciliation in Australia. He offers some practical suggestions for remembering our history, listening to Indigenous people, and planning for the future.




Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution


Book Description

"Current multiparty support has created a historic opportunity to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of Australia, to affirm their full and equal citizenship, and to remove the last vestiges of racial discrimination from the Constitution. The Expert Panel was tasked to report to the Government on possible options for constitutional change to give effect to Indigenous constitutional recognition, including advice as to the level of support from Indigenous people and the broader community for these options. This executive summary sets out the Panel's conclusions and recommendations" [taken from executive summary]; report contains draft Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures, languages and heritage, to replace racially discriminatory provisions and to include a prohibition of racial discrimination. "The Act may be cited as the Constitution alteration (Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples) 2013."




Radical Heart (16pt Large Print Edition)


Book Description

Neither Indigenous nor white, Shireen Morris is both outside observer and instrumental insider in the fight for Indigenous rights. Shaped by her family's Indian and Fijian migrant story, Morris is a key player in what many consider the greatest moral challenge of our nation: constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians. She ta...




Political Troglodytes and Economic Lunatics


Book Description

Political history at its best. This is the story of the hard right in Australia – of how Ray Evans and his boss at Western Mining Corporation, Hugh Morgan, became the pioneers of a new form of right-wing politics whose forceful reshaping of public debates transformed Australian politics. With a calm gaze, forensic detail and a dry wit, Dominic Kelly shows how they did it. Starting in the mid-1980s, Evans set up four small but potent organisations: the H.R. Nicholls Society (industrial relations), the Samuel Griffith Society (constitutional issues), the Lavoisier Group (climate change) and the Bennelong Society (Indigenous affairs). Their aim was to transform public debate on key issues. Morgan and Evans had an energy that bordered on fanaticism. They lobbied politicians and wrote op-eds. They were born intriguers and colourful rhetoricians, with a wide influence that famously included treasurer-to-be Peter Costello. It was Bob Hawke who called the H.R. Nicholls Society ‘political troglodytes and economic lunatics’; yet in their dogged pursuit of influence, the hard right made an impact. From successive backdowns on emissions targets to the rejection of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the efforts of hard right conservatives continues to be felt today – not only on the right but across mainstream public policy. Political Troglodytes and Economic Lunatics is a compelling case study in how some very determined people can change a political culture.