Letter to The Editor

To The Age
Andrea Mason implies ('Annual debate is another step towards reconciliation', 25/1) that at present Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures are not 'honoured, respected and valued' by Australians generally; but such is not the case. Her prescription for 'a true nation-to-nation relationship' with our so-called 'first peoples' is unjustified by past and present realities and can only create future division and disunity among Australians. She provides no reason at all why 'recognition' of these peoples needs to be enshrined in the Constitution, which is a document currently embracing in its essential language all contemporary and future Australians. The transition of human society on this continent from Stone Age cultures to a modern nation with up-to-date infrastructure involved some wrongdoing on both sides but now benefits both sides. Far from 'closing the distance between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians', Mason's policy would widen it.
NJ, Belgrave, Vic