What is the name of the organisation?
Yolngu Nations Assembly
What is the postal code of the organisation?
None
Do you support recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by changing the Constitution or making some other kind of legal change?
Yes
What should the change look like?
A pre-amble that gives recognition of the pre-contact reality: A fully functional First Nations society existed with established systems of land tenure, law, economics and domestic and international trade. Further constitutional reform needs to be inclusi
Should we have a statement that acknowledges the First Peoples of Australia?
Yes. This should be in the Constitution.
What should the statement say?
The statement should be a statement of redress, avoiding what are seen as and deal breaking and emotive terms, like massacre and invasion (which are factually correct but not particularly strategically useful) by acknowledging the loss incurred by First
Do you have any other comments on a statement about the First Peoples of Australia?
First Australians require the right to Diplomatic representation as equal but different members of Australian society as recognition of their own nationhood which continues to grow and evolve. It is time for Australia to demonstrate a coming of age as a n
Should the word 'race' be taken out of the Constitution?
I don't know
Should the Australian Parliament keep the power to make special laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
I don't know
Do you have any other comments on powers to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
There is a need to make laws specific to redress the issues of concern First Peoples identify. However such matters of redress necessarily need to empower not disempower. Any changes require the full and empowered participation of First Peoples. There is
Do you think that a guarantee against racial discrimination should go into the Constitution?
Yes
Should the guarantee protect all Australians against racial discrimination, or only Indigenous Australians?
All Australians
If there is not enough support for a guarantee in the Constitution, what other things can we do to stop racial discrimination in national laws?
Maintain, strengthen and expand the scope of existing laws.
Do you have any other comments on changing the Constitution to stop racial discrimination?
The focus of Constitutional change would be not only to stop racial discrimination but to redress disadvantage encountered as a consequence of colonization. National laws, as an instrument of the constitution would also serve a purpose of making racial di
Do you think Indigenous people should have a say when Parliament and government make laws and policies about Indigenous affairs?
Yes
Should a new Indigenous group be set up under the Constitution to give advice and make sure Indigenous people have a voice in political decisions that affect them?
Yes
Is it worth creating the new group if it can only give advice and does not have the power to block new laws?
I don't know
Do you have any other comments on this Indigenous group?
First Peoples of Australia should be recognized as such: A Nation within a Nation. A Caucus or Congress (an elected representative body) would become the first point of reference for any issues impacting on First Nation Residents
Should we delete section 25?
Yes
What would we achieve by getting rid of section 25?
We would be achieving a true democracy by removing Section 25
Is there any point in keeping it?
No
Do you have any other comments?
RE: Section 25. There is a temptation to leave it there so it could potentially be used on who the” undesirable minorities” at any point in history. There are Australian politicians today who feel they have strong support to exercise Section 25 on certain
Are you making a submission on behalf of a person (such as yourself) or organisation?
Organisation