Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I have been very restrained in this debate, so I thank the chair for recognising me. Finally, after two hours, I move Greens amendment (1) on sheet 7075:

(1)   Clause 2, page 2 (lines 1 to 3), omit clause, substitute:

2 Commencement

     This Act commences the day after the commencement of the Native Title Amendment (Reform) Act 2011.

The amendment seeks to add a clause to the bill so that it commences the day after the commencement of the Native Title Amend­ment (Reform) Act 2011. The reason I am moving this amendment is that I have listened to this debate two or three times now and I find the hypocrisy almost unbearable. The coalition are the party that brought in Wik amendments on native title and that have not supported Green amendments to the Native Title Act in the past to do what they say this bill does—that is, give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders free, informed, prior consent. They want to limit it to a group of people in this country. They do not in fact want it to apply to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. They did not support Australia endorsing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It was—I will give credit where credit is due—the Labor government.