Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the fine words of the former speaker, the member for Lingiari, and acknowledge the work that he does in his electorate on behalf of Aboriginal people. I know the percentage of Aboriginal people that he represents in his Northern Territory seat is far in excess of that in other electorates in Australia.

It is important as a National Party member to also add my words to the debate on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition (Sunset Extension) Bill 2015, because members of the National Party represent a far higher percentage than many of the other electorates in Australia. I know the number of Aboriginal people that Mark Coulton, the member for Parkes, represents is significant. I know the great contribution that he has made in these sorts of debates by acknowledging the work that is being done to close the gap. Certainly he was in the House last night talking of that very thing.

This is an important bill. This is an important debate. I commend the member for Aston for taking this into the House yesterday. In his second reading speech he talked of the final report making it clear that we have not yet reached a point where we can proceed immediately to a referendum. He is correct, of course. Indeed, if we did, it would perhaps fail.

There have been only eight referenda out of the 44 held since 1906 which have passed successfully. The last referendum to pass was on 21 May 1977. There were a few questions at that particular time, including on the age of retirement for Federal Court judges, as well as some others. This is almost unbelievable, but the last successful referendum at an election—to give the Commonwealth power to legislate on a wide range of social services—was way back on 28 September 1946. So not too many referenda pass the public's scrutiny, pass the public test. If we are to properly acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution, we must ensure that it is passed by the public. I heard the member for Lingiari talking about bipartisan support, and that is on the table but more importantly we must get the public to come along with us as well. That is going to be the big test. I notice the member for Hasluck has just joined us in the chamber—he is doing all he can and I will be interested to read what he says about this. His presence in the House of Representatives has also shed new light on why we need to properly and appropriately recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution.

The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Nigel Scullion, had some very interesting words to say on this subject at the Nationals federal council held in Canberra on 30 August last year. He took members of the National Party on a journey into Indigenous affairs and the important work that he is doing. He said:

This is important because so much is happening—and the Nationals have always taken a keen interest in Indigenous affairs because they share many of the rural and remote challenges and opportunities.

Like a few in this room I’m sure, I didn’t really think that the Apology we made in 2008 would matter.

I couldn’t see the apology helping at all to close the vast gap on vital issues such as Indigenous life expectancy, remote children’s education, housing, decent work for adults and community safety.

All the symbolic trumpeting was wonderful, but I could not see what difference it could make.

It takes a big politician to admit that he was wrong, but Senator Scullion went on:

How wrong I was.

The changes to the way Aboriginal people as individuals and as communities saw themselves after that apology were extraordinary. Clearly, those who would diminish the importance of symbolism as something that doesn’t have a role to play in practical outcomes are quite wrong.

Symbolic change must happen if practical changes are to succeed.

He is right, of course. He said:

They go hand in hand. The government’s response to the Forrest Report will give us the practical policy future while constitutional recognition of our Indigenous peoples will give the matching symbolic change. They are twin engines in a plane that we must bring in to land together.

Senator Scullion is correct, and he has done a lot to help close the gap. Of course there is much more work to be done. I spoke in the chamber earlier in the week on the Closing the Gap report. There were some impressive initiatives and impressive achievements over the past 12 months, but much more needs to be done if we as a government, this as a parliament and we as a nation are to bring about much-needed change in the sorts of things we want to see—making life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people similar to that of non-Indigenous people, and making sure that children are attending school. We have made significant progress in the number of Aboriginal year 12 attainees and we have also made significant progress with the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people going to university and indeed graduating from university. But much more needs to be done.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the first inhabitants of this country and recognising them in our Constitution represents a wonderful and historic opportunity to recognise their unique culture, their unique history and the enormous contribution that they have made to Australia's past and Australia's present and that they will make to Australia's future. The original act expires at the end of this month and it is important, it is critical, it is crucial, that this bill pass the parliament by 5 March. The act recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of Australia and records the Australian parliament's commitment to work towards a referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition.

We cannot put a referendum to the people and have it fail. We cannot put it to the people and have it not succeed. I know that there was good work done by the last government to try to get not only Aboriginal recognition but local government recognition in the Constitution. It was seen as a time that it was all being rushed, that it would not be possible, and that we would not be able to get people to come along with this. Therefore, it was stalled, wisely so. As I said, we cannot afford to have this go to the people and not succeed. Recognition in our democracy's founding document would be a significant watershed moment, as it would acknowledge the enormous contribution that Indigenous Australians have made over many, many centuries. I believe that it would also, and I am sure my colleagues in the Federation Chamber would agree, help to close the gap and unify the nation even more so than is the case today. A referendum is to be held as soon as possible to ensure that parliament's formal recognition of our first Australians continues.

I acknowledge the Prime Minister for going into a remote community for one week a year and governing Australia from a remote community, often in Arnhem Land. He has not done that just as Prime Minister—he did it as the opposition leader and even before that—as his contribution to what he sees as important as far as this process is concerned. The Prime Minister said he hopes to see a successful referendum held on or before 27 May 2015. That date is significant, because it is the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum which ensured that Indigenous Australians were counted as full citizens and gave the Commonwealth government responsibility for Indigenous affairs. The government is committed to fixing the Australian Constitution. That word fixing is important, because the Constitution does need to be amended, to be fixed, so that it acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians as the first peoples of this great nation.

I represent a number of Aboriginal people in the electorate of Riverina. Indeed, at the last census, in 2011, 4.7 per cent of the people in the Riverina who filled out a census form acknowledged that they were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. That is a large number. They make a wonderful contribution to the Riverina community and I am sure that they will continue to make an enormous contribution to the Riverina community, as they always have. Aunty Isabel Reid, a Wiradjuri elder from Wagga Wagga and a passionate advocate for constitutional recognition of our first Australians, said recently, 'We are moving forward but we still have a long road in the country.' It is people such as Aunty Isabel, with her enthusiasm, advocacy and determination, who carry the potential for constitutional recognition to be achieved. May that soon happen.

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