Insurance Australia Group (IAG), along with 12 other Australian organisations, has welcomed the federal government’s proposal to hold a referendum to recognise First Nations people in the constitution in the next three years.

“While there is still a lot of work to do on the details, it’s encouraging to see there is bi-partisan commitment federally to work on this important proposal,” said Peter Harmer, managing director and CEO at IAG. “This is an opportunity for positive change that will benefit First Nations peoples and communities – and the wider Australian community. This decision reflects the hard work done by our First Nations peoples on the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We stand behind the Uluru Statement because we believe it’s important that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are given the opportunity to have a voice on decisions that affect their communities.”

The organisations – which include Curtin University, Herbert Smith Freehills, KPMG, Lendlease, National Rugby League, PwC Australia, PwC’s Indigenous Consulting, Qantas, Richmond Football Club, Swinburne University of Technology, and Woodside – previously pledged their support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart during the National Reconciliation Week.

Read more: IAG pledges support for Uluru Statement

The organisations also belong to a small group that have an Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which provides a framework for organisations to support the national reconciliation movement.