No sir, over there  WITH his long white beard and broad black
hat, Australia's “father of reconciliation” cuts a distinctive
figure. Of all Patrick Dodson's battles for his fellow
aboriginal people, though, none has proved more demanding than
the bid to end what he calls the “ridiculous concept” that is
still enshrined in the country's constitution: that when the
British first settled in 1788, the land was considered terra
nullius, or unoccupied. Australians will soon vote in a
referendum on finally recognising the country's indigenous
people in its founding document.  Mr Dodson is co-chairman of a
panel, half of whose members are aboriginal, that on January
19th is due to submit a report recommending the questions
Australians should be asked to approve. This will be crucial.
Australian pride at having forged a successful, multicultural
country sits oddly with the country's constitution. Promulgated
in 1901, when Australia's six states formed a federation, the
document still contains clauses that constitution