The Law Council of Australia has released a discussion paper outlining options for Constitutional reform, to recognise Indigenous Australians. The discussion paper considers the continued existence of out-dated provisions, which deny people the right to vote on the grounds of race and permit the Commonwealth Parliament to make laws adverse to Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders.
The paper is intended to encourage discussion and debate amongst experts from the Indigenous community, legal profession, judiciary, Parliament and academia around possible options for Constitutional reform including whether the Constitution should guarantee equality, prohibit racial discrimination and enable the Commonwealth to conclude agreements with Indigenous communities, so they have Constitutional force.
In addition to the release of the discussion paper, the Law Council will also be hosting a discussion forum “amongst experts from the Indigenous community, legal profession, judiciary, Parliament and academia” in Canberra in late July 2011.
Submissions in response to the discussion paper are due by 31 August 2011.
For more information about the paper, visit the Law Council’s website
To download the discussion paper, follow this link: Constitutional Reform Discussion Paper