Foxy,

I don't think anyone here has a problem with removing the racial elements in the constitution or recognising the first peoples in the preamble, the difference is whether the indigenous peoples are given additional rights over and above the rest of the Australians based on their race.

Dear Joe and Shadow Minister,

All that is being asked is that Indigenous people be
officially recognised in our Constitution
and that the negative race
powers allowing governments to make laws and policy
that pointedly trample the rights of our Indigenous
people be removed from our Constitution.

I'm sure that the majority of Australians would want our
Indigenous people to be officially recognised.

The US, Canada, and New Zealand have all moved to
recognise their Indigenous people in their respective
constitutions.

Why is Australia still struggling?

Joe, you say we should go back to the past?
For our Indigenous people - they are being forced to live
in the past by not being recognised in our Constitution.
That needs to change so that they can move on along with
the rest of us. It is time the wrongs of the past were
fixed.

The so-called Racial elements in the Constitution mean nothing, any attempt to pass negative laws would be struck down by the High Court as there is only one race, the Human Race as regards human beings.

Are the English a race, the Scots, the Irish, the French, the Italians, the Indians, the Russians or the Americans?

Race is an illusion from past centuries and only the gullible will be drawn in by the current posturings of some parties that stand to gain from wanting Constitutional change.

There are groupings of peoples within the Human race but there is only one race.

The Australian Constitution can be changed
by referendum according to the rules set out
in section 128 of the Constitution.

A proposed change must be approved as a bill by
the federal parliament. It is then sent to the
Governor General in order for a writ to be issued
so a referendum can occur.

A referendum is a national ballot on a question to
change the Australian Constitution. In a referendum
the parliament asks each Australian on the
electoral role to vote. If a majority of people in
a majority of states and a majority of people across
the nation as a whole vote yes (called a double
majority) then the proposal to amend the Constitution
is agreed to.

Otherwise the Constitution remains unchanged.

Since 1906 when the first referendum was held Australia
has held 19 referendums in which 44 separate questions
to change the Australian Constitution have been put to
the people. Only 8 changes have been agreed to.

One of these was the 1967 referendum (in which 90.77%
of people voted yes) which gave the power to the
Commonwealth to make special laws for Indigenous
Australians.

How the Constitution is interpreted and has also changed
and evolved has all occurred under our existing
Constitution and has been brought about by High Court
decision.

A dislike of responsibility & an un-willingness to pull one's weight has nothing to do whatsoever with race !

And just how are you pulling your weight Indy? You asked "What other indigenous people around the world are better looked after by the descendants of their conquerors than here in Australia?" You got the answer, Lapps. You thought the answer was nobody, but I gave you the right answer.

Hi Foxy; Just picked up from my local library 'The Biggest Estate on Earth' by Bill Gammage, sub titled 'How Aborigines Made Australia'