Mark McGowan calls for Prime Minister to intervene on Liberals' Indigenous recognition motion
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West Australian Opposition Leader Mark McGowan has called on the Prime Minister to intervene and force the WA Liberals to withdraw a motion on Indigenous recognition, which he says has the potential to become "an ugly blot on our society and an embarrassment to Australia".
The Young Liberals are planning to move a motion at the party's state conference on August 13, calling on the Federal Government to "oppose any changes to the Australian constitution with respect to the recognition of Indigenous Australians".
Mr McGowan wrote to Malcolm Turnbull today, urging him to use his "influence to avoid having this divisive motion tabled and debated" at the conference.
The motion, which is listed for debate, urges WA Federal Liberal MPs to prosecute the 'no' case should a referendum on this issue be held.
The issue is already causing division, with former WA leader Bill Hassell expressing strong support for the Young Liberals' motion and Indigenous MP Ken Wyatt refusing to abide by it, if it is passed.
"If we change the constitution, they'll want a special constitutional position in the Parliament, and favouritism in terms of their entitlements and their rights and that is wrong," Mr Hassell said.
Mr Hassell said he believed his views would be supported by the majority of conference delegates and the motion would pass.
Liberals' motion 'opposes reconciliation'
But in his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr McGowan said the motion went against the spirit of reconciliation.
"At a time when the politics of fear and the language of division are rife in public discourse, a motion such as this has the very real potential to become an ugly blot on our society and an embarrassment to Australia," he said.
"The refusal of elements within the Liberal Party to recognise an essential historical fact - that Aboriginal Australians were the first inhabitants of this land for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans - is not a position to promote reconciliation."
"It is disappointing that Premier Colin Barnett has decided not to show leadership on this issue and so I would urge you to exercise your authority as Australian leader of the Liberal Party to have this motion withdrawn."
WA Liberal senator Dean Smith, who is opposed to constitutional recognition, urged the party to have a respectful debate.
"Constitutional conservatism is very much in the DNA of the West Australian Liberal Party," he said.
"If we are to have a referendum, then it's important that divisions of the Liberal Party not just in WA but across the country debate the merits of that and importantly, whatever they might decide, encourage their parliamentary representatives to reflect the wishes of local Liberals.
"[The constitution] is not the ideal place for symbolic statements, like the one that's being proposed for Indigenous recognition."
Senator Smith said Mr Hassell had expressed some legitimate concerns.
"Bill Hassell is a former state parliamentary leader, widely respected in Liberal circles, a man with very, very considered views on these issues."
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, indigenous-policy, political-parties, wa
