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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-06-19 Daily Xml
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MATTERS OF INTEREST

RECOGNISE

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (15:23): I rise today to speak on a matter of great importance to many Australians and a matter of real importance to Australia as a whole. Recently in this place we passed a bill for Indigenous recognition in the South Australian constitution. That bill passed this chamber unanimously, with many moving and very sincere speeches from all who contributed right across the political spectrum.

Anyone who doubted the significance or value of doing this would have been persuaded by the standing ovation and genuine feeling from many members of South Australia's Indigenous community who were in the gallery here that day. I received an email the next day from one of those in the gallery, who stated:

Twenty-four hours ago I was not a South Australian and today with rising of the sun I am. Indeed the world looks different.

This parliament did a very good thing and took big steps towards reconciliation and healing with the passing of that bill. However, it is time for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be appropriately recognised in our Commonwealth Constitution.

Today, Australia prides itself on being a place of fairness, but our constitution still does not recognise the first Australians in a manner similar to our state constitution, and there are outdated references, such as section 25, that contemplate classes of people being excluded from voting on grounds of their race alone. There is very good work being done in this area, particularly by the organisation Recognise. Recognise is a people's movement that seeks Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recognition in our constitution and advocates for the removal of discrimination in our constitution.

I congratulate Tim, Tanya and their team for raising awareness, campaigning and building community support for constitutional change. To date, more than 140,000 Australians have registered their support for constitutional recognition on the Recognise website. A Nielsen poll in February 2013 found that 77 per cent of Australians supported recognition, up from 62 per cent the previous year. I agree with the overwhelming majority of Australians that changing the constitution is the next step in reconciling our past and ensuring that we move forward as a unified nation.

Recognise has organised a Journey to Recognition. The Journey to Recognition was inspired by AFL legend Michael Long's walk from Melbourne to Canberra nine years ago to speak to John Howard about Indigenous disadvantage. Michael Long was joined along the way by many supporters, who walked with him and encouraged and supported him in his quest.

The Journey to Recognition started on Sunday 26 May this year in Melbourne, and will see a mixture of public supporters and high profile people walk from Melbourne to Adelaide, drive from Adelaide to Alice Springs, and cycle from Alice Springs to Katherine. They will then drive to Nhulunbuy, right at the top of the Northern Territory, arriving at the start of August, where they will break for the election period and then continue afterwards.

In each town along the way the group holds community events or gatherings where they create awareness of this important cause, and supporters can walk part of the way with them. They share their progress with the public through daily updates and photos on social media and on their website. The walk from Melbourne to Adelaide is over 700 kilometres in total, and today the group is having a well-deserved rest after recently crossing the border into South Australia.

These inspiring walkers will arrive in Adelaide at 1pm on Sunday 30 June. Recognise is encouraging people to meet the walkers at 12.15 at the south-western corner of Gouger and King William streets and then walk to the Adelaide Festival Centre, arriving at about 1pm. At 3pm the bells of St Peter's Cathedral will start ringing, signalling the recommencement of the journey down to St Peter's for a blessing of the walkers at 4pm.

The next day, Monday 1 July, at 5.30pm Recognise is holding a seminar called Walking the Talk for Recognition at Adelaide University, with numerous guest speakers including the Hon. Robyn Layton, Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda, Dean of the Adelaide University Law School Professor John Williams, and actor Aaron Pedersen.

I know that many members in here will support this cause, and I know a number of them will join in the activities that are occurring, the walk on the Sunday and the talk on the Monday. I encourage anyone who is interested to involve themselves in this important effort and in this work.

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