Australian politicians just don't get the irony of this, do they?

[Nye Bevan]

3. Greens welcome fulfilment of Government commitment to Indigenous constitutional recognition

The Australian Greens welcome today's announcement by Prime Minister Julia Gillard of a new Expert Panel to progress recognition of Indigenous Australians in the constitution, agreed as part of the Australian Greens commitment to support the Labor Party in Government.

As part of the agreement with the Australian Greens to establish the Gillard Government, the Labor Party has agreed to hold a referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition before or at the next election.

Greens Aboriginal Issues spokesperson Rachel Siewert said Indigenous Australians deserved recognition in the constitution as the first owners of the nation.

"Recognising Indigenous Australians in the highest legal document in our land is important on so many levels and progress towards a referendum should involve the entire community," said Senator Siewert. "This will need to be a people's referendum, not a politicians' debate, and it will need the support of the entire Parliament. While I am proud of the Greens' role in this issue, I want to acknowledge the work by countless Indigenous rights campaigners over the years. There is now significant work to be done to ensure the referendum succeeds and Indigenous Australians can finally be recognised in our constitution."

http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-release/greens-welcome-fulfilment-government-commitment-indigenous-constitutional-rec-0