What connection is there between the Australian Constitution and Aboriginal disadvantage?

Pat Turner – former CEO of ATSIC – outlines her vision for what Constitutional recognition will mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

'For me,' says Turner, 'Constitutional recognition of our peoples means the maturing of a nation – a nation that’s prepared to face up to its history its true history. Our people were here for forty thousand years at least. It’s time we grew up, and we as a peoples showed the world that we acknowledge the true history of Australia. That we were there, long before the British colonised us, and that our culture is rich, our languages are rich, our way of life is rich, and that we have made a very significant contribution to this nation. We want to be part of the constitution. We want Australia to acknowledge our shared history, and I believe that it’s good for the psyche of the whole nation not to live a lie anymore.'