In the face of historically low levels of Indigenous representation within Australian parliaments, the Indigenous caucus between Commonwealth, State and Territory Labor representatives points to some progress.
What it identifies is an essential aspect of citizenship rights that sits parallel to principles like democracy and diversity, which are fundamental to our political system. Political participation, particularly with regard to Indigenous peoples, ought to be fully protected and upheld by all levels of government.
Our country's political system arose, in the wake of colonisation, out of a racist mentality that leaned towards establishing boundaries among its citizens according to their ethnicity and cultural identity. Those boundaries have bred racial inequality and discrimination into the minds of many Australians but also, more importantly, into the structures of governance themselves.
Thus, we see a lack of laws and processes that might include Indigenous Australians fairly and equally into Australia's Westminster-style political system, that would afford Indigenous Australians a say about laws and policies that affect their affairs.
So where do we go from here? The Labor caucus is aimed at increasing Indigenous voter engagement figures, increasing Indigenous Labor candidacy, and developing strategic plans that encourage Indigenous students to become young leaders in Parliament. Those are all necessary and noteworthy causes.
But I look also at what laws are in existence, particularly with regard to our constitution as it still stands, and question how far we have really come.
For instance, section 25 of the Australian Constitution conflicts with the Labor caucus' aim to drive Indigenous voter engagement. It gives a State and Territory government power to disqualify persons from voting at elections, according to their race. The term 'race' has been predominantly applied only to Indigenous peoples, usually to our detriment, so that our citizenship rights are limited.
It is nothing new. My great grandfather Jack Patten recognised the different standards the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments applied when making laws and policies that targeted Indigenous peoples' citizenship rights versus those of non-Indigenous Australians.
"Our government needs to pick up where it left off in 1967 and recognise the importance of protecting the full citizenship rights of its Indigenous peoples."
Patten was the president of the Aborigines Progressive Association, with Bill Ferguson as secretary. They, along with many other strong Indigenous leaders and activists in the 1930s civil rights movement, fought long and hard prior to the 1967 referendum for racial and social equality in Australia. Their aim was to stop the continuation