Survey shows if a poll was held today, three out of four voters would support recognising Indigenous people in the constitution

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The overwhelming majority of voters, including two-thirds of Coalition voters, would support a referendum on recognising Indigenous Australians if a poll was held today,a survey by advocacy group Recognise reveals.

The poll of 750 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and 2,700 non-Indigenous Australians shows the majority of people in the majority of states support recognising Indigenous people in the constitution.

A majority of the population in the majority of states must back the referendum for it to pass.

Three out of four Australians overall support recognition, and that figure climbs to 87% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people surveyed.

Conservative voters also strongly support the proposal, with two-thirds saying they would vote yes.

“The research findings should give confidence to leaders as they seek agreement on the model to be put to voters,” Recognise said. “It confirms the electorate is strongly prepared to back this change.”

Tony Abbott has indicated he would hold a referendum in 2017 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders being counted in the census.

“It’s more important to get that right than rush it, he told reporters on Monday, adding that recognising Indigenous Australians in the preamble would “complete the constitution, not change it.”

Labor has sought a meeting with the prime minister on the issue, but has not yet secured one.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten told reporters that recognising Australia’s first peoples should be a bipartisan issue.

“I believe that we should be doing that as a matter of priority,” Shorten told reporters on Monday. “It’s long overdue.”

This Wednesday marks the 48th anniversary, giving the government two years to formulate the question it will take to the electorate.

The duelling areas of interest are the inclusion of clauses acknowledging Indigenous people in the preamble of the founding document, as well as the removal of other clauses that make it legal to discriminate on the basis of race.

A joint parliamentary inquiry looking at the crafting of the question and the viability of the referendum is due to hand down its report on recognition soon.

“As a member of the joint committee on constitutional recognition, I am striving to reach a bipartisan approach that will allow this formal recognition take place,” Labor senator Nova Peris told Guardian Australia. “The committee is currently consulting and listening to people across the community, and is working towards the best possible solution for this recognition to occur.”



