Recognise: ‘We Need Heroes, Black and White’

ASPIRING lawyer and East Arnhem Land teenager Budat Mun­un­ggurr believes constitutional recognition is crucial for the ­implementation of practical reconciliation for indigenous Australians, but says a referendum would need nationwide support.

“It is important for people like me to speak up about it. We need the future heroes, both black and white, to come together and stay strong about this,” the 18-year-old said, speaking at the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence in Sydney’s inner-city Redfern yesterday.

Moments earlier, indigenous leader and AFL star Michael O’Loughlin had pinned a Recognise badge on Mike Baird after the NSW Premier became the first state or territory leader to formally support the referendum for constitutional recognition.

“We will do anything possible to provide leadership on this issue,” Mr Baird said, noting his state was home to a third of the ­national indigenous population.

Governed by the Board of Reconciliation Australia, the Recognise campaign has garnered the support of almost 250,000 Australians as well as a host of national institutions, from AFL Australia to the Uniting Church.

The campaign’s end game is the insertion of a section which recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the fact that their languages were our first tongues, while confirming that ­English is Australia’s national ­language.

It also aims for the removal of Section 25, which says the states can ban people from voting based on their race, and section 51 (xxvi) which can be used to pass laws that discriminate based on race.

Ms Munun­ggurr, one of the 250,000 Australians who have pledged support for the Recognise campaign, learned during a legal studies class that the nation’s founding document made no mention of her proud and ancient culture, leading her to avow to one day become a lawyer and play her part in closing the gap.

“I want to help my community and work with indigenous and non-indigenous people to close the gap and break down barriers,” the Recognise campaigner said.

Alongside NSW Aboriginal ­Affairs Minister Victor Dominello, Mr Baird called on other states to follow his lead and pledge support for the movement.

NSW Labor Opposition Leader John Robertson joined Mr Baird in bipartisan support on the issue, noting that former Labor premier Kristina Keneally had recognised indigenous people in the NSW Constitution in 2010, and saying Mr Baird should pressure the Prime Minister to bring forward a federal referendum.

Victoria and Queensland also have recognition clauses in their constitutions.