Legislative recognition of Indigenous Australians will be extended for a further three years, as work continues to build support to recognise the First Australians in the nation's founding document.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Federal Parliament passed the original Act of Recognition in 2013, when the Gillard government decided the nation would not be ready to vote in a referendum at or before the 2013 election, as originally planned. The Act is due to expire at the end of the month.
The Prime Minister's parliamentary secretary, Alan Tudge, introduced a bill to extend recognition until March 2018 on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said he hopes to hold a referendum on or before May 27, 2017, the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum which gave the Commonwealth responsibility for Indigenous Affairs and ensured Indigenous Australians were counted in population statistics.
But he has not committed to the date, arguing the success of the referendum is more important than its timing.
