Rudd revives Aborigine plan

2008-07-24 13:57

Canberra - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who won international applause for apologising to Aborigines for past wrongs, has revived plans to have Australia's indigenous people recognised in the nation's constitution.

Rudd was visiting a remote Outback Aboriginal community on Wednesday when he foreshadowed discussions with indigenous leaders about how Aborigines should be recognised in Australia's 107-year-old constitution.

"We will ... give attention to detailed, sensitive consultation with indigenous communities about the most appropriate form and timing of constitutional recognition," Rudd told the Yolngu people in the Northern Territory.

But the opposition warned on Thursday against giving Aborigines any special privileges under a changed constitution, which could split the Australian community.

"The challenge ... is putting something into the constitution that is meaningful without alienating large sections of the population," opposition Liberal Party indigenous affairs spokesperson Tony Abbott told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.

"One thing you certainly couldn't do is give more rights to one group of Australians than to others," he added.

Opposition from Liberal lawmakers would almost certainly ensure that any referendum needed to include Aborigines in the constitution would fail.

Australia's constitution does not mention Aborigines. A referendum in 1999 that proposed adding a preamble to the constitution that recognised indigenous people as the first Australians sparked bitter debate about its wording and ended in defeat.

Rudd, whose Labour Party won elections in November, led Parliament in February to apologise to Aborigines for past racist policies and mistreatment.

Aborigines are a 400 000 minority among Australia's 21 million population. They are also the poorest, least healthy and worst educated ethnic group in Australia.

- AP