THE AGE
Tuesday 23 March 1999
Draft preamble to the Constitution
This is the text of the draft preamble to the
Constitution released today by Prime Minister John
Howard:
'With hope in God, the Commonwealth of Australia is
constituted by the equal sovereignty of all its citizens.
'The Australian nation is woven together of people
from many ancestries and arrivals.
'Our vast island continent has helped to shape the
destiny of our Commonwealth and the spirit of its
people.
'Since time immemorial our land has been inhabited
by Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, who are
honoured for their ancient and continuing cultures.
'In every generation immigrants have brought great
enrichment to our nation's life.
'Australians are free to be proud of their country and
heritage, free to realise themselves as individuals, and
free to pursue their hopes and ideals. We value
excellence as well as fairness, independence as dearly
as mateship.
'Australia's democratic and federal system of
government exists under law to preserve and protect
all Australians in an equal dignity which may never be
infringed by prejudice or fashion or ideology nor
invoked against achievement.
'In this spirit we, the Australian people, commit
ourselves to this Constitution.'
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