Time to change constitution, Shorten says

If Australians had their say now, the first sentence of the constitution would recognise indigenous people, Labor leader Bill Shorten believes.

And he says the country shouldn't have to wait until the Queen dies and a new monarch succeeds the throne to start talking about an Australian republic.

The opposition leader wants a two-fold change in the nation's founding document, arguing it should be a "living and working" thing and speak for modern Australian beliefs and values.

Mr Shorten says if the constitution was drafted today, people would unquestionably end the "great Australian silence" and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as traditional owners of the land.

"In all likelihood, it would be the first sentence on page one," he told a Sydney event on Thursday.

By the same measure Australians would elect one of their own as head of state.

"But I don't believe we have to wait for a change of monarch to renew the republic debate," he said, adding a new generation of voters post-1999 deserved the chance to have their say.

"Constitutional change is not beyond modern Australia."

Mr Shorten and Prime Minister Tony Abbott are due to meet indigenous leaders on July 6 to consider the model for a referendum on indigenous recognition.