Garth Hamilton (Groom, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The last time a proposed constitutional change was put to Australians, a constitutional convention was held, a proposed republic model was agreed and the public was given more than 18 months to consider the detail. Why is this Prime Minister asking Australians to first agree to put the Voice permanently into the Constitution and then to give him six months to work out how it would work?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. The First Nations constitutional convention was held at Uluru in 2017, just more than six years ago, and it was timed to commemorate the date of the 1967 referendum. That arose out of, originally, the proposal from John Howard as Prime Minister, who went to the election in 2007 saying that he would support a referendum on constitutional recognition. Then the Gillard government began a process with a constitutional recognition working group, which led to the process of people, including the member for Berowra and others like Noel Pearson and other senior legal commentators, working on proposals. Then there was a series of consultations in the lead-up to the Uluru statement, in the lead-up to that constitutional convention.

When that occurred then, there was—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's not a constitutional convention.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fisher will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Then the former government, the coalition government, established a range of processes. Included in that was the parliamentary inquiry, which was jointly chaired by now Senator Patrick Dodson and the member for Berowra, and that made recommendations. There was then a process set up, chaired by Tom Calma and Marcia Langton—

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We still haven't had a constitutional convention.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is now officially warned. The Prime Minister is going to be heard in silence.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That process then led to a report that went to the cabinet of the Morrison government not once but twice.

This is a process that has been many, many years in the making, leading up to this. We also, I note, established a time frame very clearly for people when I indicated that there would be a draft, which I announced at Garma last July. We then had a process through a referendum working group that included people like Ken Wyatt, the former minister for Indigenous affairs, which came to a common position. It then went to the parliament here. It's unfortunate that decisions were made—but they're entitled to do that—before that process had even reported to this parliament. The legislation will now go to the Senate, and then it will go to the Australian people. The Australian people will get to decide, and I certainly hope that they vote 'yes' in the last quarter. (Time expired)