Linda Burney to speak at Mingaletta

The first aboriginal woman to serve in the House of Representatives, Ms Linda Burney, will be at Mingaletta in Umina on the evening of Monday, August 21 to speak about the Recognise movement.

Recognise is the movement to change the Australian constitution for meaningful recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Recognise movement was also formed to deal with the racial discrimination present in the constitution.

Member for Gosford Ms Liesl Tesch said all members of the community were welcome to attend the event which will start at 6pm and she encouraged all members of the local Aboriginal community to take part in the discussion.

She said representatives of a new Labor Party group called Labor for Treaty would also be present.

On May 26 over 250 delegates gathered at Uluru for the 2017 First Nations National Constitutional Convention and made a historic statement.

The Uluru Statement said: "We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.

"Makarrata is the culmination of our agenda: the coming together after a struggle.

"It captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia and a better future for our children based on justice and self-determination.

"We seek a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history. In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard.

"We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future."

On June 30, the Referendum Council presented its final report on constitutional recognition to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

SOURCE:

Interview, 15 Aug 2017

Liesl Tesch, Member for Gosford

Reporter: Jackie Pearson