"In 1967 we were counted, in
2017 we seek to be heard".
This was both the headline message and theme of the much
anticipated Final Report of the Referendum Council issued on 30
June 2017 (Final Report), having been commissioned
by the leaders of the Federal Government and Opposition roughly 18
months earlier to lead the process that would give a voice in
parliament to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Referendum Council (Council) was
established by Prime Minister Turnbull and Opposition Leader
Shorten in December 2015, and for the first time in Australia's
history joined together both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
members and non-indigenous members from a range of expert fields
and backgrounds in a formal Constitutional Convention. We reported
on this in our
August newsletter edition.
