Page 1458 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 1 June 2022
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in more than 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders coming together at Uluru for the National Constitutional Convention. The result of that historic convention was the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The statement calls for voice, treaty and truth—in concrete terms, a constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament and a Makarrata Commission with responsibility for truth-telling and treaty advancement. Five months later, the Turnbull government tabled its response to the Uluru statement. To summarise that response with reference to the proposal for a constitutionally enshrined voice, the Turnbull government said:
The government does not believe such an addition to our national representative institutions is either desirable or capable of winning acceptance in a referendum.
I am pleased to say that Labor has a different view. The incoming federal Labor government has been clear that it will take forward a referendum to constitutionally enshrine a voice to parliament as a matter of priority. This will be a significant challenge, and we can never be certain that any referendum will pass, but unless we have leaders who are willing to be brave, we will never be able to make real change.
The other significant date that bookends Reconciliation Week is Mabo Day, on 3 June. This day marks the legacy of Eddie Koiki Mabo, a Meriam man from the Torres Strait, who took his people’s case to the Australian High Court, challenging the concept of terra nullius. The High Court’s judgement in the Mabo case resulted in the introduction of native title into Australian law, removing the myth of terra nullius and establishing a legal framework for native title claims by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of this historic Mabo decision. Where the conversations about constitutional recognition and a voice to parliament reflect the importance of recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the institutions of post-colonial Australia, the legacy of the Mabo decision invites us to reflect on that which came before colonisation, the sovereignty of the first nations of this continent, which was never ceded, and the continuation of the most ancient culture on Earth.
This aligns with the other key element of the Uluru statement, a Makarrata Commission to support truth-telling and treaty- or agreement-making between governments and First Nations. I am pleased that our new federal Labor government supports the Uluru statement in full, a voice to parliament and a Makarrata Commission. I look forward to working with colleagues in the new federal government and across the states and territories in supporting this work. I welcome the appointment of Linda Burney to lead this work, the first Aboriginal woman to sit in cabinet, and a genuine force of nature.
As we know, Linda Burney is joined in our national parliament by the largest number of First Nations members and senators ever elected. This can only be a good thing. I also want to acknowledge the appointment of Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, the new and fabulous Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians and Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health, and Senator Uncle Pat Dodson, the special envoy for reconciliation and the implementation of the Uluru statement, and I look forward to working with both of them as well.
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