The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) joins tens of thousands of Australians seeking constitutional recognition of Australia’s first people in our founding document.
Reconciliation Australia’s ‘Recognise’ campaign is a people’s movement that aims to eliminate discrimination from the Australian Constitution, officially recognise Australia’s first people and preserve the Government’s ability to pass laws that benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
In its support for the campaign, the RACGP publically calls for the removal of section 25 of the Constitution which supports States’ right to ban people from voting based on race and section 51 which allows for laws to be passed that discriminate against people based on their race.
RACGP President, Dr Liz Marles said the campaign’s goal is crucial if Australia is to achieve true reconciliation and eliminate discrimination once and for all.
“By supporting this campaign, the RACGP further commits to addressing the social and economic determinants of health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and to improving stewardship and governance of Indigenous heath.
“We know that racial discrimination has a severely detrimental impact on individuals’ mental health and yet the highest legal document in Australia supports discriminative treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
“There is a direct association between a lack of constitutional recognition and poor mental health, socio-economic disadvantage and exclusion from the mainstream of Australian society.
“The RACGP believes constitutional recognition will have a profound impact on the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by improving social status and providing a more positive framework within which to address ‘Close the Gap’ initiatives.
“The success of any initiative to improve the livelihood of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must remain a priority for all Australians and government,” said Dr Marles.
The RACGP stands strong on its position that if real progress is to be made towards reconciliation, respect for Australia’s first people in its most basic form must be made.
“The Australian Constitution, which is over a century old, does not reflect modern day sentiment of everyday Australians and therefore, fails to represent the society it governs,” said Dr Marles.
The RACGP remains committed to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a national priority and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure the Australian Constitution recognises all Australians.
The RACGP is also a member of the ‘Close the Gap’ coalition steering committee and a signatory to the ‘Racism. It stops with me’ campaign.