Minister also says supporters of constitutional recognition must respect those against, such as Pauline Hanson

Indigenous Australians minister Ken Wyatt has said he would not move forward with a constitutional referendum on Indigenous recognition if it looked like failing, as he believed a loss would negatively affect the national psyche.

At the same time, Wyatt said supporters of constitutional recognition need to respect those with opposing views, including those of Pauline Hanson, who claimed that, as an Australian-born white woman, she too was “indigenous”, saying he admired the One Nation leader.

Wyatt, the first Indigenous person to hold the portfolio, has pledged to work towards holding a referendum on Indigenous recognition within three years, following Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese’s promise to work together to find consensus.

Ken Wyatt wants referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition within three years Read more

The announcement was welcomed by many Indigenous leaders.

“It’s really, really important, this announcement today, and clearly has the support of prime minister Morrison … this is a really significant day in the nation’s history, it’s a day to be celebrated,” professor Megan Davis, a co-author of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, told the ABC.

But Wyatt also said that he would not put forward a referendum if he didn’t believe it would succeed, citing the 1999 republic question defeat. Of the 44 referendums held since federation, just eight have succeeded. Wyatt said a loss would be too detrimental to the cause to consider.

“What I have said is I don’t want to proceed if we don’t have the right question. We will work towards having a referendum in the term of this government and I am committed to it.

“But I am also going to use judicial and wise judgement as to whether we will fail, along with other colleagues, along with cabinet colleagues and the prime minister and Indigenous leadership,” Wyatt told the National Press Club in his first address since taking over the portfolio.

“If it does not look like it is going to be accepted, then we should not proceed. It is like the republic referendum. That failed. That is now gathering dust of a substantial nature and I don’t want that to happen in terms of any form of recognition in the constitution.

“So it is important we do this carefully and we have the debates, so those who oppose it, [we] can understand their position, but equally understand the position of Indigenous Australians, who want to be recognised on the birth certificate of this nation, [and] who weren’t there when it was written.”

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Wyatt said there needed to be acceptance that there was a “pragmatic element to constitutional recognition”, essentially saying he did not want to see the perfect become the enemy of the good.

Shadow minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said Labor would work constructively with the government on the issue.

Constitutional change doesn’t come easy, she stressed, with only eight out of 44 referendums held to date succeeding.

But the MP is confident the time for change has “well and truly come”.

“I honestly believe that the Australian public is ready for constitutional reform to recognise first nations people in the constitution,” Burney told reporters in Sydney.

The move is already finding pushback from people such as Hanson, who declared herself “indigenous” for having been born in Australia during a Sky News interview on Tuesday night. Wyatt said he respected Hanson and debate was part of a strong democracy.

“I have had meetings with Pauline and I will continue to have meetings with Pauline on what is emerging and how we are thinking. And people will react if they don’t know the detail. That is why I want to co-design, so all of us know what the detail is,” he said.

“Because often, when we are uncertain, and we are not sure, that we take a stance that is quite strong and often ill-informed in not listening to the total context.

“I admire Pauline for what she does and I have good meetings with her. We don’t always see eye to eye on things, but I will certainly be involving Pauline in discussions that we have, as we move forward into the future.”

Pressed on the Hanson comments and those of her supporters, Wyatt later said it was up to Australia to help change detractors’ minds.

“We as Australians have to call them out, collectively,” he said of those who attempt to delegitimise any future process.

“We need to think about the future we want and those who have a different view; we should respect those different views and have discussions with them.”

“And those who have an opposing view, they will have them regardless. There are some people we will never convince and we have to accept that.

“On the barometer that Reconciliation Australia have, there was about 10% rusted-on figure; that no would be their answer, regardless of what the wording, or the body or whatever looked like.

“We have to respect that. It is the majority who we need to talk to, and have straight discussions, because it is only that way that we will convince fellow Australians that we have a unique opportunity to push our nation into a pathway into which further healing will occur.”

The Labor senator Pat Dodson, known by many as the “father of reconciliation”, told ABC radio earlier on Wednesday it had been more than two years since the Uluru statement from the heart was delivered to parliamentary leaders and it was time to start moving.

“I think these are matters which have dragged on for far too long, and certainly the other aspect, which is the Makarrata commission of treaty making, is being lost in the course of the discussions here.

“People should really put the challenge to the minister, come up with the model that they want, the voice, and the set of words that they want to go into the constitution, and there have been proposals in relation to those matters and it shouldn’t take more than 18 months to settle that.”

with agencies