Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Hansard source

This year we have the opportunity to do something that is long overdue. It is a step that should have been taken generations ago—that is, recognition in our Constitution of the 65,000 years of shared history and continuous connection to this land for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. What a privilege we have to do so. But recognition is not enough. We must enshrine a voice, a voice that can speak to those 65,000 years of history and the collective aspirations for our future, a voice that will inform policies and programs that impact First Nations Australians. I know in my role as Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health and Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention that contribution will be invaluable. We must close the gap on every measure—life expectancy, child mortality and disease, over representation in custody, suicide. We have failed our First Australians. In 2023 we are saying that isn't good enough. The Voice will make a genuine difference.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to visit Yarrabah in Far North Queensland. While I was there, I met with Mayor Ross Andrews. What Mayor Andrews told me then was the same as what he told the parliamentary inquiry into the Voice referendum—that is, that enshrining the Voice would provide security to First Nations recognition and consultation. It will mean future governments will not simply be able to push aside the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. In Yarrabah, they have persistent and acute issues that must be addressed—housing, water security, digital connectivity and opportunities for education. The Voice will mean communities like Yarrabah are properly heard.

This referendum will be a unifying moment, a historic moment. And while those on the other side of the aisle will say that this is just another layer of bureaucracy, they're simply not right. This isn't about more bureaucracy. It's the opposite. This is about making sure voices in remote and regional communities are heard. It's about making sure local communities have a representative body that will be consulted on policies that affect them. It's about making a practical difference on the ground in areas like health, education and housing. That's what the Voice will help deliver.

Last week I spoke to Aunty Bronwyn Chambers, an elder from my community. Aunty Bronwyn is a nurse, an educator and the elder in residence at the Wollotuka Institute on the Central Coast campus of the University of Newcastle. Aunty Bronwyn spoke to me of the deep shame globally that Australia doesn't recognise its First People in its Constitution. She said that now the world is watching, that the Voice is long overdue, and if not now, then when? She also told me the Voice is not only about now but about the future. The word she used was 'legacy'—legacy for her children, her grandchildren and all First Nations people.

The Voice has the support of every state and territory minister across Australia. The business community, unions, sporting organisations and faith groups are backing 'yes'. The opposition is saying no; they're backing more of the same, and the same is simply not good enough. This is not a political voice; nor was it constructed in the minds of politicians. The Voice was a collective contribution of decades of work from First Nations advocates and communities, culminating in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. To paraphrase from the statement, they seek constitutional reforms to empower their people and take a rightful place in their own country. When our First Nations people have power over their destiny, their children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country.

This is not a voice from the mind but a voice from the heart. This is a generous offer from those who met in Garma and all those who came before. It is an offer that we must generously accept. I have great faith in the Australian people, including in my community on the Central Coast of New South Wales. This is the best chance we have for a better future for all Australians.

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