Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Brown for the question. The Labor government is committed to constitutional change to recognise the unique and special place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We believe that the Australian Constitution should recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their unique history, culture and connection to this land; reflect our country's fundamental belief in the importance of equality, through the removal from it of all references to race; and acknowledge that additional effort is needed to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage in this country.

Great progress has been made towards constitutional recognition. In December 2010, the government appointed an expert panel to identify how to recognise Indigenous Australians in the Constitution. We have been working with local organisations to build a momentum for change. But we do know that change can only happen when there is majority support for any referendum put to the people. We think some positive work has been done, but a progress report from Reconciliation Australia makes it clear that the level of support we need for a successful referendum is not yet there.

Having recently helped my son with his year 12 politics assignment, the record of referendums reminded me—