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

My question is to the Prime Minister. On Insiders recently, when asked about establishing a makarrata commission with responsibility for truth-telling, the Prime Minister said, 'Well, that's not what we've proposed.' But on election night 2022 the Prime Minister promised to implement the Uluru statement in full—Voice, truth-telling and treaty—and he repeated that promise on more than 34 occasions. Why does this tricky Prime Minister repeatedly promise one thing and do another?

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

I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for her question. The theme of this year's festival at Garma—which was broadcast even if you weren't there and even if there wasn't anyone from the coalition who made the effort to sit down and engage—was 'Fire, strength, and renewal'—strength and commitment from First Nations people to deal with the trauma that many of them feel from the defeat of the referendum, which is very real. Regardless of where you stood on that issue, I would have thought that it would be appropriate to have some respect for the family of Yunupingu. Djawa, who has taken over the leadership of the Yolngu people, is the brother of Yunupingu, who was farewelled just a year ago—a great Indigenous leader and someone who was responsible, probably more than anyone else, for the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

What we did there was to acknowledge, as the incoming minister has done, the need to reach out—

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

It's going to be difficult to take a point of order on relevance here. The Prime Minister is framing his answer, obviously. around where he made the statements. Anyway, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition on a point of order.

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

It is on relevance, because the question was about the Prime Minister's statements about makarrata, and he hasn't mentioned this at all.

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

I won't be accurate about where the statements were made, but I'm assuming the Prime Minister would know where he made the statements, which was at the festival, on the interview. But he can explain it to the House. He should just make sure his comments, when he's talking about his position and about the policy topic, are being directly relevant. We'll make sure that he continues on that standing order.

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

The statement I was asked about was a statement that I made at the Garma Festival, and I'm talking about the Garma Festival. That was where I made it. At that festival, we talked as well with First Nations people about a new pathway towards how we close the gap. The new pathway was all about economic empowerment and trying to search for a way to achieve what I would hope everyone in this chamber wants to see achieved: a closing of the gap in education, a closing of the gap when it comes to health, a closing of the gap when it comes to life expectancy, when it comes to all of—

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

'Makarrata'—are you going to say that word?

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

Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition has asked her question. She can have silence for the remainder of the answer.

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

Now, I don't quite understand how any of these comments can draw partisan interjections. One of the things that Senator McCarthy said yesterday in the parliament was:

… we learnt from the referendum. The pain and hardship that was created for First Nations people in this country was because there was no bipartisan support…

She went on to say that we want to walk down the pathway of trying to get maximum support for an objective. The referendum was held. The yelling has to stop, and we as a nation need to work on ways in which we can achieve better outcomes, and that is the focus of my government. (Time expired)