Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] I'm coming in virtually from Queensland. This is a very important companion bill, the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme (Facilitation) Bill 2021, and I recognise the previous speaker, the member for Newcastle, is passionate about this area. It's an area where both major parties can be proud of what they've done, and in particular, the Prime Minister, who will be remembered for achievements like this—and also the national redress scheme for institutional care. They're really important steps and very compassionate ones, campaigned for for a long time and delivered under the Morrison government, which I'm particularly proud of.

I have no hesitation in recognising the large number of people who worked to this destination. The Commonwealth takes its role very seriously for the Commonwealth territories. We have a focus today, obviously, on the Northern Territory, and I think there were reasonable summaries from the previous speakers—no disagreement from me. This is a companion bill that implements certain aspects of this scheme and ensures that recipients of these payments are not subject, for instance, to the Social Security Act or the Veterans' Entitlements Act, where they may potentially not be eligible for payments. It addresses situations of bankruptcy where these payments are quarantined, and these are important elements as well—that the payments are not subject to income tax assessment or income testing or capital gains tax.

That's what the bill is about, but the opportunity today is to say how important these redress schemes are: the national scheme and the stolen generations redress scheme. Clearly, many of the recipients are very, very senior and frail, and many of them have chronic disease. It's imperative to act quickly, and the government has done that—and I think with a trauma informed, culturally sensitive approach with a focus on survivors. That is what was needed, potentially, decades ago. My contribution to this debate, for those that are listening around the country, is to pick up on a point by the member for Newcastle— (Quorum formed)To think that an opposition Labor Party MP would call a quorum in the middle of a bill of the gravity of the stolen generations readdress scheme is absolutely unbelievable. Obviously, from my virtual position in the parliament, I'm unable to see who that MP was, but, if it was in fact the member for Lalor, it is a complete disgrace that she would call such a motion in the middle of such an important scheme being debated. With bipartisan support and having very supportive, considered, survivor focused commentary being made in this parliament, this is a moment for us to celebrate. If, indeed, the person who just called that quorum was an individual representing the seat of Lalor, that is absolutely disgraceful and Hansard will record that.

These matters may seem trivial to members like the member for Lalor, but her party takes a very different view to healing, truth telling and reconciliation. They understand that a payment like this took a long, dogged fight for many outside of this parliament. It has become a position supported by both sides of politics in what is, we all recognise, an important practical step but completely inadequate to heal in a symbolic sense the suffering of, and the loss of what was taken away from, these individuals. I am very glad to speak on behalf of this facilitation bill. I know that we have the support of both sides of politics.

A message to the broader Australian community is that this important amount is not to be counted in dollars; it's to be counted in the gesture and the goodwill that comes with the payment and the commitment to hear, to listen, to accept and to understand. Just as I was saying about the member for Newcastle's point of view about not allowing out-of-home care to ever get out of control in the way that it did in the past again, we may well be facing the need to apologise for other forms of policy and the way they've affected and injured people and possibly, but not necessarily, children. A whole range of policies around employment, education, school attendance, incarceration, rehabilitation—all of these matters need every member's attention to make sure that what we do during our time while incumbent is not something that our successors have to apologise for on our behalf.

While it's important to apologise as soon as possible and in good faith, let's all look within and not satisfy ourselves that apologising for the actions of others is sufficient to get ourselves through as caring and compassionate about the issues facing Indigenous Australians. It simply isn't. Things are not as they should be. I'm happy as a member of the government to take full responsibility for that, but I know that every member of this parliament in Canberra, as do the state parliaments, regard this as one of the great domestic challenges for Australia.

This redress scheme is something that is long overdue and very much welcomed. Let's make sure that nothing we do right now, while we are representing Indigenous Australians, leads to an apology in the future and let's make sure that the lessons of today's legislation are learnt by everyone.

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