Treaty is not simply some distant fantasy – it is a live national issue that we should be rigorously discussing now. Never forget, the Uluru Statement from the Heart is not just about a Voice to Parliament. It provides a sequenced set of reforms. The Voice is an instrument of Reconciliation, designed to pave a pathway towards truth-telling and agreement-making – to Treaty. Recently I spoke of being ambivalent about Bob Hawke’s legacy for First Nations peoples. He promised a treaty and national land rights but ultimately failed – despite his charisma – to deliver the Australian people to support the proposition. Hawke was, in his heart, a committed friend of Australia’s Indigenous peoples who remained committed to the high ideals of reconciliation – the true healing of the substantive disagreements between us since colonisation. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Despite his celebrated stature, he is also a reminder that First Nations peoples have always been the first victims of debilitating government procrastination: a depressing national story of noble promises and soaring oratory, only to march us slowly towards the too-hard basket while letting other vested interests prevail. Recently many people said national support for a referendum was there and that Labor should just get on with it. The recent election result tells me other things mattered more to voters than First Nations interest. Labor had a clear policy position of support for the Uluru Statement and for a referendum in the first term. The Coalition had no plan.

In the aftermath of the election, Attorney-General Christian Porter dampened hopes by deploying a crude, fear-mongering Brexit analogy that did a disservice to the reconciliation movement. Since then, the Coalition has awakened to the significance of what First Nations called for in the Uluru Statement but have yet to show the courage to truly adopt it. Labor senator Patrick Dodson ... warns of the "the failed path of soft reconciliation measures – making white folks feel like they are doing something good for blackfellas and yet doing nothing to heal the nation’s wounds and achieving unity and respect". Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The new Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, has provided some hope in his National Press Club remarks on Wednesday. But yet again, he has provided no assurances that his government will stay true to all three reform items in the Uluru Statement from the Heart – Voice, Treaty and Truth. He palmed off the responsibility of treaty to the states and territories even though the Uluru Statement was delivered to the Australian people. And the federal government, in a federation, has a principal role and responsibility to resolve settlement and displacement issues with First Nations. It has to display the courage to pursue this with states, territories, the Australian people and First Nations.

Loading The time has come to say enough is enough. We must stand up, put our faith in the Australian people and work diligently to achieve the real objectives. We have the alternative of sitting on our hands as an option adding nothing and preserving the status quo. That’s not acceptable. We either deliver the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full or continue down the failed path of soft reconciliation measures – making white folks feel like they are doing something good for blackfellas and yet doing nothing to heal the nation’s wounds and achieving unity and respect. The time has come to prepare for a treaty. We have a window of opportunity to get the Voice designed and prescribed into law but public goodwill towards a successful referendum will not last forever. So the words to go into the Constitution should be settled by the parties as soon as possible and then the question put to referendum via a unified education campaign. It should be done in this term of government. By the next election, we should have an agreed framework for the treaty process and begin getting the nation ready by truth telling and constructive reconciliation actions.

Loading We must not let the temptation of "practical measures" corrupt the notion of reconciliation or let fear stifle us even before beginning to confront its paralysis. True reconciliation demands staying true to the call for Voice, Treaty, Truth. The Uluru Statement is a plea to the nation given with the free, prior and informed consent of First Nations peoples. It asks Australians of goodwill to stop the debilitating procrastination of governments and to triumph over the nemesis of fear. Let’s give hope a chance. Diluting that statement, misrepresenting its purpose, or airbrushing difficult elements betrays the consent of that heartfelt plea to join in a process to create a new relationship. This NAIDOC week, let us recommit our efforts to the duty of reconciliation. Let us work towards reaching that ultimate resolution, and in the words of our new Governor General, bring Australia closer towards a more finished product.