Letter to The Editor - We need a more scrupulous as well as a more open debate to precede any referendum

To The Australian        In her promotion of a practical referendum for Aboriginal constitutional recognition ("Referendum must be practical, not symbolic", 7/2) Shirleen Morris misrepresents the nature of conservative opposition to any such recognition. It is not that there is a fear of "legal uncertainty", but that the whole idea is seen as dangerously divisive and powered by a long-term plan for total separatism involving two discrete national states on this continent. The project is clearly against the interests of the great majority of Australians. Morris also misidentifies its conservative opponents. Those she names are all supporters of constitutional change. The real conservatives are those who oppose any separatist policies, including the enacting of treaties. We need a more scrupulous as well as a more open debate to precede any referendum; and the government must ensure that the "No" case is fairly represented and funded.
  Nigel Jackson, Belgrave