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Indigenous leaders have lashed out at the Australian government, accusing Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten of not listening to suggestions about how to tackle constitutional recognition of the Aboriginals as Australia's first people.
Kirstie Parker, co-chair of the National Congress of Australia' s First Peoples, said on Tuesday that there was a noticeable divide between the voices contributing to the landmark referendum and Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
She said the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten were disinterested in what the Indigenous leaders had to say at the meeting, held in Canberra.
"It remains to be seen how much real listening was done," she told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio on Tuesday.
Another Indigenous leader, Noel Pearson, on Monday night criticized the government heads for having already "predetermined" a way forward, and that holding the summit was purely theater.
"I would have preferred to stay at Cape York at my beach house with my kids and send a cardboard cut-out down to this meeting," he said.
"They both did a very good job of pretending to listen."
"I thought it was an important event, highly stage-managed I might say."
Parker said it was vital that there was Indigenous input into the discussion.
"What's been missing from the equation is our voices and an opportunity, fully resourced, for our people to talk amongst ourselves," she said.
"If there is any discomfort coming from political leadership about our people talking amongst ourselves in indigenous specific forums, they need to say so."
But the Prime Minister hailed the referendum a success, and said the next stage was to invite input from members of the wider community about how to proceed with the constitutional amendment.
"What I think we've done today is laid out a process which will enable all Australians to have a deeper, better informed and much more structured conversation about what this constitutional change could look like," he said.
"I am confident that the time is right. I think that we are good enough, big enough and brave enough to do this, but it is important that we get it right and that's what today's process is all about."
The government invited 40 Indigenous leaders from around Australia to take part in the referendum, held at Kirribilli House.
There is currently no mention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution, and no recognition they were the first Australians.
A recent poll conducted by Fairfax Media suggested that 85 percent of voters support constitutional recognition for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders as the first Australians. Enditem
