More than protests, speeches or individual political victories, change requires long-term commitment, strong institutions and the passing of knowledge and responsibility between generations, the CEO of the newly formed Council of First Nations says.
Delivering the Dr Charles Perkins Oration at the University of Sydney this week, Duane Fraser set out the case for an independent national representative body built and owned by Traditional Owner Nations.
He used his speech to outline a vision for the fledgling Council of First Nations, which he labelled a "permanent, independent national institution, owned and governed by the Nations and organisations that hold authority for Country".
"We need good ideas, including from people we disagree with," the Wulgurukaba and Bidjara man said.
"We need one another's judgement, experience and courage. And we need to be able to build something together without demanding agreement on every question.
"To those who remain committed to constitutional recognition, I respect your work and your resolve. That work can continue. So can treaty. So can economic self-determination. None of those ambitions has to cancel out the others."
The Council grew out of the fundraising vehicle for the Yes23 campaign for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament — a registered charity until recently called Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition.
Mr Fraser said the Council would be an "institution through which our Nations can determine shared priorities, bring their collective authority to national decisions, and hold governments to account".
"One that can endure across governments and generations," he said. "And in doing so, fundamentally change the relationship between First Nations and the Australian state."
Last year, the Council held an inaugural gathering of more than 300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders in Port Douglas.
Broadly, attendees expressed in-principle support for the creation of a new national representative body led by Traditional Owners.
Barrister Tony McAvoy SC, Professor Peter Yu, Karen Mundine and Vanessa Kickett are listed as directors, according to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, with filmmaker Rachel Perkins as chair.
Mr Fraser argued that representative bodies were not unusual in Australia, citing the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Local Government Association and the Australian Council of Trade Unions. While their members may have vastly different interests, they advocate as a united body.
He said the Council would soon invite Nations and representative organisations to become founding members, with members expected to take control of its leadership, direction and accountability at next year's National Gathering, independently of government.
"We've also learnt something from the national bodies that came before us," he said. "Each had achievements and reflected a determination to give our people a national voice. But institutions that depend on the decisions of government can be weakened or dismantled when the politics change."
He argued the Council "must also be independent enough to speak plainly to whoever is in power. That means building a sustainable funding base beyond government".
"And our independence must extend to party politics," Mr Fraser said.
It must be able to "work with any government, challenge any government and remain answerable to its Nations, regardless of who holds office", he added.
"Our cause belongs to our people, not to a political party."
