Quarterly Essay 55 A Rightful Place

The nation has unfinished business. After more than two centuries, can a rightful place be found for Australia's original peoples?Soon we will all decide if and how indigenous Australians will be recognised in the constitution. In the words of Professor Greg Craven: We have a committed prime minister, and a committed opposition. We have a receptive electorate. There will never be a better time. We have no choice but to address the question. If constitutions deal with fundamental things, our indigenous heritage is pretty fundamental. In A Rightful Place, Noel Pearson shows how the idea of race was embedded in the constitution, and the distorting effect this has had. Now there is a chance to change it if we can agree on a way forward. Pearson shows what constitutional recognition means, and what it could make possible: true equality and a renewed appreciation of an ancient culture. This is a wide-ranging, eloquent call for justice, an essay of remarkable power that traverses history and culture to make the case for change. As long as we have a constitution that characterises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the basis of race, it will have deleterious implications for their citizenship. It must be removed This is not just a matter of symbolism. I think this will be a matter of psychology. The day we come to regard ourselves as people with a distinct heritage, with distinct cultures and languages but not of a distinct race will be a day of psychological liberation. And it will also be liberating for those in the wider community Noel Pearson, A Rightful Place Noel Pearson s searing Quarterly Essay is a watershed moment for this country, a call for us to deal with unfinished business that tarnishes our nation a landmark essay Patricia Karvelas, The Australian Clarity, goodwill, flexibility and realism ... Noel Pearson offers them in abundance. Paul Kelly A Rightful Place is an admirable addition to the Pearson oeuvre intellectually braceing and cogently argued. Henry Reynolds