Williams, George --- "Recognising Indigenous Peoples in the Australian Constitution: What the Constitution Should Say and How the Referendum Can be Won" [2012] UNSWLRS 25

Last Updated: 25 July 2012

Recognising Indigenous Peoples in the Australian Constitution: What the Constitution Should Say and How the Referendum Can be Won

George Williams, University of New South Wales

This paper is available for download at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2116860

Citation

This article was published in Land, Rights, Laws: Issues of Native Title (Vol 5 No 1, September 2011, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies), 1-16. This paper may also be referenced as [2012] UNSWLRS 25.

Abstract

The federal government has committed to holding a referendum at or before the next federal election on recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution. This Issues Paper examines the background to this proposal, and suggests how the Constitution can be changed to achieve this goal. It also explains how a referendum on this topic can be won, and sets out the legal, practical and political preconditions for referendum success.