Young Indigenous leaders have sent an open letter to the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader demanding they get behind the Referendum Council's report on constitutional reform.
Members of the Uluru Youth Group, selected at the First Nations Convention in May, say they're frustrated with the response from Indigenous parliamentarians who they claim have publically campaigned against the recommendations.
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In the letter, addressed to Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten, the group said they're disappointed with the response from some politicians.
"We are concerned that prominent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander political leaders seem to be pushing an agenda contrary to the Referendum Council report and the Uluru Statement, and contrary to Mr Shorten’s endorsement of the report, without adequate legal or political rationale or explanation."
The letter reinforces the process leading into and during the Uluru convention was an unprecendented consultation with Indigenous people.
"The Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Referendum Council report present a clear and achievable pathway for change. A First Nations Voice in the Constitution was adopted by the almost 300 strong elected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates, after 13 dialogues with a total of around 1300 of our people. This represents significant engagement, the likes of which we have rarely, if ever seen," the letter says.
The Referendum Council's report, released last Monday, calls for an Indigenous voice to Parliament to be enshrined in the Constitution and for a separate "Declaration of Recognition," and the formation of an agreement making Makarrata Commission.
The group calls on the two leaders and Indigenous parliamentarians to show leadership, and consider the report carefully and move forward with its recommendations.
