Mingaletta launches petition for recognition

Members of the Mingaletta Corporation in Umina have launched a petition calling for recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Australian Constitution.

The launch took place at the NAIDOC Week celebrations on Tuesday, July 3, at Gosford Showground.

"Over 400 signatures were collected, starting a drive to collect thousands of signatures to the petition, which asks that indigenous Australians be recognised as the first peoples of Australia," said organiser Ms Barbara Kelly.

Along with their languages, cultures and heritage, Ms Kelly said that racially discriminatory provisions that exist in the Constitution should be replaced, and racial discrimination should be prohibited.

The Mingaletta Corporation and Central Coast Citizens for Constitutional Change have been meeting each fortnight to discuss ways of raising more public awareness about the need for constitutional change to include indigenous people, prior to the government's planned referendum on the issue at the next election.

Member of both groups Mr Ray McMinn said: "If today's response is any indication of how people are feeling, we will have the same success as with the 1967 Referendum."

"What we need to do now is keep the ball rolling and hopefully it will gain momentum as we send the petition to other aboriginal organisations and out to the general public."

Email, 4 Jul 2012

Barbara Kelly, Mingaletta Corporation