What is your full name?
Dwayne Coulthard
What is your postal code?
5000
Do you support recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by changing the Constitution or making some other kind of legal change?
I don't know
Should we have a statement that acknowledges the First Peoples of Australia?
Yes. This should be in the Constitution.
Where is the best place to put it?
The most appropriate place for a statement of acknowledgment would be within the body of the Constitution not a preamble or purely symbolic or tokenistic acknowledgment.
What should the statement say?
It should accurately reflect our history of pre-1788, the importance of cultural identity to ATSI people and to our nation as a whole and a historical reference to the injustices.
Do you have any other comments on a statement about the First Peoples of Australia?
The statement would need to have a wide consent amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across our country. This will mean that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities need to have a important role in determining the lan
Should the word 'race' be taken out of the Constitution?
Yes
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?
History tells us that a special power to make laws in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has been interpreted broadly and would require a a safeguard to ensure that laws would not be used for the detriment of Aboriginal and Torres S
Do you think that a guarantee against racial discrimination should go into the Constitution?
Yes
Do you have any ideas about what words to use for that guarantee, or where in the Constitution to put it?
It is important to include a prohibition of racial discrimination within the substantive body of the constitution rather than in a preamble.
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?
One way would be to dump any proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act 1977 (Cth). Racism is a real and live issue in our nation and with any proposed changes to the RDA would undermine any attempted change to the Constitution.
Do you have any other comments on changing the Constitution to stop racial discrimination?
This is a crucial issue as it will have a real and profound impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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?
Yes
Do you have any ideas about what the new group would look like?
The Indigneous representative body would need to be adequately resourced and this would be required to be constitutionally enshrined to ensure that we would not have a repeat of the dismantling of ATSIC. There would also need to be adequate representation
Do you have any other comments on this Indigenous group?
The election or creation and tenure of the Indigenous group would have to be constitutionally protected and created to ensure that a continuous voice is present at a national level with longevity to advocate and to advise government on laws that impact Ab
Should we delete section 25?
Yes
What would we achieve by getting rid of section 25?
Removing reference to race would bring us in line with the 21st century and the notion that banning a person from voting on the basis of race is archaic and outdated notion that is a stain on our Constitution.
Is there any point in keeping it?
Section 25 has not be used due to the consequence of a reduced number in the House of Representatives.
Are you making a submission on behalf of a person (such as yourself) or organisation?
Individual