Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Has the Prime Minister ruled out the creation of a Makarrata commission to oversee truth-telling and treaty? If so, why is there still money in the budget to create one?

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

I thank the member for Durack for her ongoing commitment to Indigenous Australians and for her interest in these issues and the constructive role that she wishes to play. I did indeed speak at the Garma Festival. I attended the Garma Festival along with the education minister, the social services minister, the Indigenous affairs minister, the member for Barton, the member for Lingiari, the member for Solomon and many representatives of state governments. We were the only federal members who were there. It was an important gathering to discuss with First Nations people a way forward to close the gap. What we know is that, when it comes to closing the gap, we are not achieving the outcomes that I'm sure everyone here would want to see. We need to reduce the suicide rates. We need to reduce the incarceration rates. We need to reduce the disparities in health and education that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

The theme of this year's festival was 'Fire, Strength, Renewal'. Fire is something that Yunupingu—the Leader of the Opposition attended his funeral—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my left! The manager is entitled to raise a point of order, and he shall do so.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance, it was a very tight question: has the Prime Minister ruled out the creation of a makarrata commission to oversee truth-telling and treaty? If so, why is there still money in the budget to create one? The Prime Minister should be directed to answer the question.

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

I'm listening carefully. I want to make sure the Prime Minister is on topic. He's talking about the visit to Garma. I'm assuming, or hoping, he will continue his answer regarding the question, which was about the makarrata commission for truth-telling. He has had a preamble. I invite him to return to the question.

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

Indeed. 'Makarrata' is a Yolngu word—the Yolngu are the people who host the Garma Festival each year—for a coming together after struggle. No-one can say there hasn't been a struggle in this country with Indigenous Australians when you have Closing the Gap at that point. Coming together means actually sitting down and discussing the issues of how we move forward together. Those opposite might want to seek to continue to have division. What I'm seeking to do—and I spoke at the Garma Festival about economic empowerment—is to search, along with the new Minister for Indigenous Affairs, for ways in which we can come together. That is what makarrata is: coming together. I seek for Australians to come together in order to advance the interests of Indigenous Australians, and I invite those opposite to stop with the attempts to divide and try to come together in order to close the gap, because that is our objective.

During the referendum that was held last year, I was asked a range of questions on multiple occasions. I was asked whether the Voice would affect interest rates, defence bases, nuclear powered subs and a whole range of issues. I was also asked about treaty, and at that I continually indicated the same answer. I referred to the same answer before the referendum as afterwards: that that is not the focus that we have. (Time expired)