Reforming the rules for free and fair referendum
Gabrielle Appleby, Sean Brennan, Megan Davis & Dylan Lino
19.10.21
A parliamentary committee has decided it is time to review the rules that govern the lead-up to and operation of constitutional referendums in this country. As a group of constitutional law experts at the Indigenous Law Centre, committed to …
How Culture Shapes Australia’s Referendum Record
Paul Kildea
11.06.21
Richard Albert’s Constitutional Amendments: Making, Breaking and Changing Constitutions offers a comparative, conceptually rigorous treatment of a complex and significant field in the study of law and politics. In this post I focus on Richard’s ideas about amendment difficulty and how they might help us to make sense of Australia’s recent referendum record and ongoing debates around the constitutional enshrinement of a First Nations …
The First Nations Voice: A modest and congruent, yet radically transformative constitutional proposal
Gabrielle Appleby
11.06.21
Richard Albert reveals in the final page of the introduction to his book, Constitutional Amendments: Making, Breaking and Changing Constitutions, what he wants others to take away from it. First, he wants scholars to reflect on their system of constitutional amendment, to inspire interest in the subject matter and his arguments. Second, he wants the book to be a resource for those embarking on constitutional change: to become ‘a focal resource for leaders involved in making or remaking their constitution …
Designing a Voice to Parliament to strengthen First Nations sovereignty
06.05.2021
Four years ago, the Uluru Statement from the Heart changed my mind on constitutional recognition. Like many, I saw the Recognise campaign and its push for a symbolic recognition of First Peoples in the Constitution as a distraction. A government and corporate-sponsored campaign that would do little to alter the systemic injustice and racism that harms First Peoples across Australia, while giving the appearance of a grand gesture of change …
Constitutional Recognition: Two Decades On
Megan Davis
01.03.21
I am excited to write the first post for the Indigenous Law Centre’s Indigenous Constitutional Law Blog. I have been wanting to establish this initiative for many years: to set up a platform for foundational information and analysis on the Constitution and Indigenous peoples’ for Australia’s lawyers and broader civil society as we enter the second decade of constitutional reform and recognition …