Legal Studies Speech by Shannon Dillon of Ayr State High School

Firstly I would like to acknowledge the Wulgurukaba and Bindal people, the traditional landowners of
this part of the country, for allowing us to engage in educational activities that will enhance and assist
our employment prospects.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, teachers and students. My name is Shannon Dillon from Ayr State
High School and I am here today to discuss the topic, “Why the content of the preamble to the
Australian Constitution matters”.

A preamble is the introductory part to a constitution or any legal document for that matter, and
generally sets the tone for the whole document. A preamble to a constitution should generally include
the following:

- The history of the constitution

- The values and aspirations of the people

- The nature of the state and the authority under which the constitution is made

The preamble is one of the oldest and most common ways of incorporating values and also holds great
symbolic significance. This highlights not only the importance of the preamble to the constitution but
also to its people. The preamble matters because it demonstrates what, we as citizens of Australia,
stand for and believe in.

However, I question the authority and context of the current preamble to the Australian constitution.

When critically analysing it, I find that indigenous people are silenced. This is made quite clear, given
the evidence that most indigenous people were not recognized as citizens of the Commonwealth, and
were not given the vote in federal elections until 1962. In the last 60 years of our country’s history, the
indigenous people of our nation have fought to gain these civil rights, and the citizenship status they
deserved from the very beginning. As Kevin Rudd quoted in his Apology to Indigenous Australians in
February 2008: “There comes a time in the history of nations when their peoples must become fully
reconciled to their past if they are to go forward with confidence to embrace their future”. If the Prime
Minister of our country can apologize to our indigenous people, then the preamble of the Australian
constitution should be able to distinguish our remorse and recognition of them, as Australia’s first
people.

Another group that is silenced is the immigrants who built and shaped our country through their culture
and skills. Since 1945, 6.9 million people have migrated to Australia as a result of WW2 and numerous
immigration programs implemented by the federal government. They have come here from all over the
world in the hope of leading a more prosperous life while continuing their culture. Many of them
opened up shops in various cities and towns across Australia. They worked on farms and in factories and
also assisted in building infrastructure such as the Snowy Mountain Scheme. Therefore the preamble
needs to be representative of the whole Australian population and represent the contributions, values
and beliefs that the citizens of our country all have in common.

Over 110 years ago our Constitution was drafted, and since then many aspects of our country have
changed. Australia has gone from a nation closely linked to Britain and the Royal family to a country
forging their own laws, and military, political and economic links with other nations such as the US.
Thousands of our men have died overseas serving in times of war, forming the world renowned ANZAC
legend. Our legal systems (State and Federal) are now entirely independent from the British Privy
Council with the passing of various Acts, severing all constitutional ties with Britain. This demonstrates
the need for a preamble that draws from our own country’s history, talent and achievements rather
than the history of the relationship between Australia and Britain.

When someone picks up the constitution and reads the preamble, they instantly get an impression of
what the country is like, and what their people value and stand for. We are not racists, nor are we
royalists any more, but you would not know this by reading the current preamble. Therefore we need a
preamble that matters to us to reflect who we are as Australian citizens today. Not what we were ... in
1901.

Thank-You