Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will gain widespread support from Aboriginal people and reconciliation supporters with his call for a treaty between Australia and Aboriginal people, Michael Mansell said today.
Mr Shorten said on ABC Q&A last night that his Party, if elected, would look beyond constitutional recognition and would consider a treaty.
Mr Mansell, who has written a soon to be published book on treaty called ‘From Democracy to Statehood: Aboriginal Self-determination’, said, “The challenge is for a treaty to give back to Aboriginal people all we deserve while maintaining the political and economic institutions that support the lifestyle of Australians generally. In other words, how do Aboriginal people get justice without altering the Australian way of life?
A treaty is aimed at bringing people together by sharing power, finances and land. Instead of one group dominating the other a treaty aims to find the means to achieve solidarity, where dreams are shared along with wealth, culture and social well-being.
It may require identification of crown lands to be an essential part of a land settlement; of a permanent national Aboriginal body elected by Aboriginal people as well as designated seats in the Senate; a sharing of resource management and a greater say over cultural protection, education curriculum and social planning.
A Treaty Commission could be established shortly after the election to examine how a treaty would work in Australia and how models from New Zealand (Treaty of Waitangi – legislated in 1975) and north America might be useful here.
Treaties are not admissions of defeat or submission. Parties to a treaty do not give up nationhood or their own ways of living, working and governing themselves. Rather, they acknowledge their shared wish to live in peace and harmony, agree on rules of coexistence, then work to fulfil their commitments to one another.’
Mr Mansell called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to show the same positive leadership as Mr Shorten so that a treaty can be developed.
Michael Mansell, Secretary, Aboriginal Provisional Government
