Login
ABL senior partner to co-chair Referendum Council
Arnold Bloch Leibler senior partner Mark Leibler will co-chair the newly-established Referendum Council on constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Felicity Nelson
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and opposition leader Bill Shorten announced that Mr Leibler (pictured) will co-chair alongside Professor Patrick Dodson.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Mr Leibler said the Referendum Council has an “important responsibility” to take steps to progress the constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians.
“This is a vitally important referendum process for Australia,” he said. “ I feel extremely privileged to be appointed as co-chair of the Referendum Council alongside Professor Dodson, who I have worked with for many years and greatly admire.”
The 16-member Referendum Council comprises Indigenous and community leaders, legal experts and former politicians.
It is tasked with the responsibility of advising the government on a process towards a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution.
The other members of the Referendum Council are: Pat Anderson; Professor Megan Davis; Andrew Demetriou; Murray Gleeson QC; Mick Gooda; Tracey Hosch; Professor Kristina Keneally; Jane McAloon; Noel Pearson; Michael Rose; Natasha Stott Despoja ; Amanda Vanstone; Dalassa Yorkston; and Dr Galarrwuy Yunupingu.
The first meeting of the Referendum Council is expected to be held early in 2016.
