No Small Change: The Road to Recognition for Indigenous Australia

Frank Brennan

may 2015 · University of Queensland Press

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In 1967, Australians voted overwhelmingly in favor of removing from the Constitution two references that discriminated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Though these seemed like small amendments, they were an impetus for real change: from terra nullius to land rights, and from assimilation to self-determination. Nearly 50 years later, there is a groundswell of support for our Indigenous heritage to be formally recognized in the Constitution. With the prospect of a new referendum in the near future, Frank Brennan considers how far Australians have come—and yet how much work lies ahead. He looks through the prism of history to examine what we can learn from our successes and failures since 1967, from the efforts of the Council of Aboriginal Affairs to the Gove land rights case and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. He also assesses the way forward: how the upcoming referendum might provide fresh momentum for governments and Indigenous Australians to negotiate better outcomes. Written by one of the most respected commentators on legal and human rights issues, this book makes a vital contribution to the understanding of Indigenous affairs. It will generate crucial debate on how Australians should acknowledge the history that for too long has gone unrecognized

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Frank Brennan is an Indigenous Australian, Jesuit priest, professor of law at the Australian Catholic University, and adjunct professor at the College of Law and the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at the Australian National University. He has written a number of books on Indigenous issues and civil liberties, including most recently Acting on Conscience: When Church And State Collide and Tampering with Asylum. He is an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for services to Aboriginal Australians, particularly as an advocate in the areas of law, social justice, and reconciliation. Patricia Turner, AM, is a former CEO of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission.