Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister hold a referendum in this term to enshrine a First Nations voice to parliament in our Constitution?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will be aware of my broad position on this, as I outlined it in my Closing the Gap speech and the aspiration we have there. This process of constitutional recognition has been a long journey. It is yet to arrive at a point, I think we can fairly say, where there is broad agreement as to what the proposition would be. Indeed, there is a large gap between where the opposition stands, on the form of this, and where the government stands. I would have thought there would need to be a real consensus to enable such a referendum to be successful, because what I'm interested in is that such a proposition would be successful. Success is the goal that I would seek in pursuing that agenda, and it's an agenda that I am pursuing and the Minister for Indigenous Australians is pursuing. One of the things I've learned carefully from the Minister for Indigenous Australians is you need to keep walking together until you can find the point where there is an agreement that would enable such an important recognition to be achieved.

So I am not going to allow any timetables to prevent the successful achievement of this result. I've set out very clearly my position on this matter. Those opposite have a very different view as to the manner and form of this to the view of those in the government. And I think that presents a lack of consensus. What we will do is continue to pursue the bipartisan recommendations of the joint select committee, and I thank the member for Berowra and the other members of the committee who put forward those recommendations and put forward a process of co-design as the way forward. That's what we're doing. That's our policy. We will continue to apply ourselves to that process. I hope we're able to achieve a consensus at an early opportunity.

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Ballarat.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But in the absence of a consensus—

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Ballarat is warned.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not going to go down a path that would see something important, such as this, result in a failure.