List of Council members that Malcolm Turnbull thinks is "broadly reflective of the Australian people". Check to see who 'reflects' your views.

Known: Patrick Dodson, Andrew Demetriou, Mick Gooda, Kristina Kenneally, Natasha Stott Depspoyja, Amanda Vanstone, Galarrwary
Yunupingu.

Not known: Mark Leibler (Lawyer, Native Land Title Law); Pat Anderson (Alyawarre woman); Megan Davis (Law Prof, UNSW,Cobble Cobble woman, Chair Permanent UN Forum on Indigenous Peoples); Tanyia Hosch (Torres Strait Islander, Joint director 'Recognise', Director Australian Indigenous Governance Institute); Jane MacLoon (big business, was company secretary BHP Billiton); Michael Rose (CEO, Allens); Murray Gleeson (ex High Court judge); Dalassa Yorkston (Torres Strait Islander, CEO Torres Strait Shire Council).

Now Senator, Dodson, Prof. Davis, Mr. Gooda, Mr. Leibler, and Mr. Pearson also served on 2010 Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians who's 2012 report was too radical even for the Gillard Government. Remember, the Constitution is for all
Australians, not just minorities. It is not meant to contain cultural matters.

Hey ttbn,
Let me add a link for this thread.
http://www.dpmc.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/constitutional-recognition/referendum-council

G'day AC,

Thanks, I have that one stored away. Apparently the next utterance from the Council will be in 2017. If you are interested in the other side of the story try the Recognise What? website. There is also a small book, edited by Gary Johns with 13 essays from contributors, of the the same name available from Connor Court. Two of the essayists, one New Zealander, and a Canadian advise what happened/is happening since their dalliance with recognising their indigenous people. The problems lie not so much with recognising the existence of the first occupiers - not that even that has anything to do with a Constitution, which states how the country must be governed, and nothing else - but with the recognition of 'culture', which apparently leads to discrimination against the majority, and a lot of interference by un-elected judges.

Hey ttbn,
It's honestly hard for me to hold a position on this one.
I really don't truly understand what it's truly all about.

Whilst I do have indigeonous dna from my grandmother who was half indigeonous, I don't have any indigeonous culture in my family, as my grandmother died in a car accident in western Sydney when my dad was 12; and even then he was brought up previously to this by his grandparents.

Whilst I accept a lot of the "don't want to help themselves" criticisms, I also accept that they were here first and were historically subjected to some unfair and discriminatory treatment.

Also we've forced them to change their traditional ways, by taking away all their traditional hunting grounds and the best lands which they previously lived.

In some ways we made them drunks and angry resentful abusers with mental issues and havent really gone far enough to help provide them better opportunities for the modern changing world we live in.

When it comes to the kids in custody, I don't know if they were unfairly treated by police or others or that the government has in some ways let them down.
Maybe they shouldn't be there in the first place, but I won't object to someone having a spit-mask placed on them if they are going to play up.
If I was to spit at police, I'd be locked up, the law should be the same for everyone.
It doesn't matter if it's a kid or not, it can be a transmission of things such as hepatitis.

So there's pro's and con's, etc and I still don't understand what it is exactly that they want or hope to achieve moving forward.

AC,

I believe that you are able to claim Aboriginal heritage, even though you seem to have more European heritage.

There is no denying there were injustices done to indigenous people, and some undesirable things were introduced by Europeans, but that was over two centuries ago. In my view, no person now living has anything to apologise for, and many, many people of Aboriginal backgrounds don't see what the fuss is all about. I'm pretty well convinced that it is the elites of both European and Aboriginal communities who are behind this push, not just for recognition that Aborigines were the land's first people - which everyone accepts because our knowledge of history doesn't go back far enough to prove otherwise, and they were here 30, 40, or even 60 thousand years before Europeans arrived - but also the talk about recognising Aboriginal culture; neither of which will help the few Aboriginal people who could still do with help. But, once these things are recognised in a constitution, it has been proven in other countries that have taken the path, that the judiciary, bureacrats and elites soon take decisions out of the hands of elected politicians. One commentator has said that people wanting constitutional recognition are trying to do exactly the opposite of what was done in South Africa to break the yoke of apartheid. If we start legislating for one section of the community, we are in big trouble as a nation. Yes, we are being confused by the ruling class. And they have not said which parts of Aboriginal culture should be recognised - some of it is horrific.

Hey ttbn,
I've only actually known about my grandmother being half-indigenous for a couple of years. For most of life all I ever knew was she'd died in a car accident when dad was 12 and he never really knew her very well because he was mostly raised by his grandparents. He got on ancentry.com a couple years ago and was building the family tree when he was then contacted by another family from my grandmothers side of the family who connected up my grandmothers side of the family onto our family tree.

They sent him a book which covers my grandmothers side of the family.
http://books.google.com.au/books/about/Gungarlook.html?id=s2T8ZwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

My grandmother was half Irish, half indigenous.
Her Irish grandfather/great grandfather (not sure which) came to Australia on a convict ship called the Boyd in 1826.
They lived where the Warragamba dam is today.

So I've never really thought of claiming aboriginal heritage.
I'm not in any way ashamed of my indigenous heritage though.

I also only found out about 5 yrs ago that my great grandfather (on my mums side) was a Lieutenant Colonel (pronounced leftenant) at Gallipoli, and was promoted to CO on the battlefield after his CO was shot.
I've looked him up online, but it only has his rank as Major.
I'd like to see his war record.