Leading lawyers and judges have been involved in drafting a Voice amendment to the constitution that will go before government.
Indigenous leaders say the Indigenous Voice to parliament referendum cannot afford to be pushed back to the next election as the government considers a timetable that will deliver a vote within 12 months.
“Given the Uluru Statement from the Heart has been in the media and on the political agenda for five years, there is a good base of public understanding and materials from which to run a successful public education campaign in the proposed time frame,” the note says. The note says it is crucial that the referendum question “is easily understood and captures the essential nature of the reform”. It could be based on the long title to the draft referendum bill and voters might be asked whether they approved enacting such a bill or not.
Because it would confer no actual rights, the note says the chances of its advice being revisited by the courts are negligible. “While a midterm standalone referendum might be depicted by critics as less ‘cost-effective’, it focuses public attention on the referendum, and separates it from the political uncertainty surrounding an election.”Lawyer Danny Gilbert, who is part of the advisory group for the From The Heart campaign, said it was important that there be bipartisan support.Wolter Peeters
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