By Caroline Smith
For Year 12 Trinity College student Ashton Godfrey, an educational trip earlier this year provided a good opportunity to reflect on the status of Indigenous Australians in the Constitution ahead of NAIDOC week next month.
Ashton was chosen from a pool of 4,000 Year 11 and 12 students to attend the 22nd National Schools’ Constitutional Convention, which was held from 15-17 March at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House in Canberra.
The Convention – which is held annually – provides senior students with an opportunity to expand their knowledge of Australia’s Constitution and how it provides a democratic framework, encouraging them to take an active interest in the operation of government.
This year’s topic was ‘Indigenous Australians and the Constitution’, with discussion specifically revolving around the issue of Aboriginal recognition within the text.
Ashton said he had been excited to hear about his selection for the event, shortly after applying at the end of last year, adding that it had been a great educational experience.
“I was in Canberra for three days and two nights. I got to meet people with similar interests to mine, specifically politics and law, and to have discussions with likeminded people,” he said.
“We had a number of expert speakers and lecturers to hear from, it was great to sit back and listen to them speaking about the many issues involved in Indigenous recognition in the Constitution.
“It really helped to broaden my view of the issue – the Convention taught us about all the technical aspects of it, which helped me realise the complexity of the issue.”
The event program included visits to the National Museum of Australia, the National Film and Sound Archives of Australia, a welcome reception by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and an official reception at Government House hosted by Lady Cosgrove.
Learning experiences centred on several panels: the first exploring the pros and cons of constitutional change with speakers including Australian National University (ANU) Emeritus Professor John Warhurst AO, University of NSW Faculty of Law Dean Professor George Williams AO, Recognise What Spokesman Wesley Aird and Recognise Joint Campaign Director Mark Yettica-Paulson.
A second panel looking at approaches in comparative jurisdictions includes speakers Norwegian Ambassador Unni Kløvstad, Canadian Deputy High Commissioner Charles Reeves and New Zealand High Commission First Secretary Nathan Glassey.
Other speakers at the Convention included Federal Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham, High Court of Australia Manager Public Information Ben Wickham and NSW finalist Young Australian of the Year 2017 Arthur Alla, who has worked with Aboriginal communities in Cape York, Queensland.
Ashton said he his interest in attending the program stemmed not only from his love of politics and law, but also issues of Aboriginal rights.
“I’ve been involved in several activities to do with Indigenous issues, including a Kimberley immersion trip, where students went for two weeks up to communities in the Kimberley and helped with maths and other subjects,” he said.
“We were thoroughly involved in the community, and got to see the culture first hand.”
He added that as NAIDOC Week falls in the school holidays the College would have a College assembly focusing on Indigenous culture early in Term Three.
NAIDOC Week – which will be held from 2-9 July this year – celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and acknowledges its artists, scholars, sportspeople, elders and community members.
For more information about NAIDOC visit – www.naidoc.org.au.