Australian Aborigines request recognition in the Constitution. Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister, stated last August (see
theguardian.com) that such a recognition would complete our constitution. This is obviously nonsense, as our constitution is
not incomplete, and any addition to it would be an amendment.
All politicians make favourable noises concerning such an amendment.
Therefore, it is almost certain that we will arrive to a referendum, so
that all Australians will have their say about it.
As I don't care a little bit about political correctness, I will state straight away that I will vote against such an amendment.
I am not racist (I know: most racists would state exactly that, and you
are free to think that I am one of them if it pleases you; I know I am
not), but I cannot see what the presence for 40,000 years of Aborigines
on this continent has to do with the Australian Constitution. A
constitution is the basic law of the country and, as such, there is no
need for it to state that somebody was present before the modern state
was formed.
The Aborigines were mistreated, abused, and killed. Still today, they
clearly represent a disadvantaged minority and are often discriminated
against. I consider it a moral duty of all Australians to work towards
redressing centuries of injustice and to make possible for Aborigines to
have the same opportunities that most Australians take for granted.
And it is not only an altruistic attitude, because there would be great
benefits for the whole society.
We should also be prepared to support the Aboriginal communities for as
long as necessary, but the constitution shouldn't mention any particular
section of the Australian nation. It should be equally valid for all
of us. I would rather create an Australian Bill of Rights and then
focus on ensuring that all Australians, Aboriginal or not, enjoy them.
