Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to speak tonight about matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in my own state of Queensland. I begin by reinforcing a point I made in my formal first speech upon my re-entering this chamber towards the end of last year where I began by emphasising the importance of all of us—and I include myself in that—to do a far better job of just listening to what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are telling us. There is no one single view, of course, across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland but there are very clear, common themes that come forth.

We would all recall throughout much of January the discussions that occurred in Queensland and elsewhere around the issue of the future of Australia Day, the nature of the 26 January and what that meant for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is 80 years now since a major meeting of Aboriginal people declared 26 January a day of mourning. That very clear expression of those feelings of so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has not been recognised, has not been addressed and so continues to be voiced.

I would remind the Senate of significant extensive periods of public consultation that have occurred around these issues. I can recall back in 1991 when this chamber unanimously agreed to set up the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. The initial chair was Pat Dodson—now we're all on it, I think, and have the great opportunity to learn from him being here amongst us in this Senate chamber.

The latter stages of that council were chaired by the late Dr Evelyn Scott, a Queenslander with Torres Strait Islander heritage, and it operated over the course of 10 years. It had representatives from the Liberal Party, from the Labor Party, from the crossbench and so many people from a cross-section of the community. They conducted literally hundreds of consultations all around the country over 10 years and produced a report for this place which contained some core recommendations. It wasn't one of those reports with 500 recommendations; it had just six.

One of those recommendations was continuing the work of reconciliation and, hopefully, we can all remember the huge surge of support amongst the Australian community when hundreds of thousands of people were involved in bridge walks of reconciliation. I remember the one in Brisbane that was probably the longest march I can recall, apart from the march against the illegal Iraq War.

There is and remains huge public support for reconciliation and addressing the clearly unfinished business and major concerns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I want to congratulate all of those who turned out on 26 January in Brisbane for the march of at least 5,000 people—up to 7,000 people, according to some estimates—from outside Queensland Parliament House across to Musgrove Park and the Jagera Centre. It was a clear recognition of the growing public desire to have this issue addressed.

That Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation report included, amongst its recommendations, for all parliaments, including this one, to support the Roadmap for reconciliation that was provided to this chamber in May 2000. The Roadmap for reconciliationagain, not a particularly long document—contained back then, as an essential action: to sustain the reconciliation process; to sustain that public desire of those hundreds of thousands of Australians to make progress in this area; and for all parliaments to observe protocols and negotiate with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders or representative bodies to include appropriate Indigenous ceremony into official events. This parliament and others around the country have made progress on that.

The report also called for governments and organisations to establish and promote symbols of reconciliation. This would include changing the date of Australia Day to a date that includes all Australians. That was the unanimous statement and essential action from that council featuring people from across the community after 10 years of consultation provided to this parliament. And yet each year, nearly 20 years later, when people talk about how much 26 January is an inappropriate day we get such a ferocious backlash from people. We almost think like people are only just starting to mention it. But we had a 10-year consultation process. This was identified as a key thing amongst a whole lot of other areas, and yet not only has nothing happened but we're actually getting increased hostility. You wonder why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people don't think, 'Why bother? Why bother engaging in all of these processes that this parliament itself set up?' When they tell us what they think, what their feelings are and what they believe will help in moving things forward, we respond by dismissing it out of hand or, indeed, with a volley of abuse.

I certainly want to say in regard to Queenslanders that there is a growing surge of support for action. The date, 26 January, is a small thing—a symbolic thing. But, as has been clear, these symbols are important. But if we can't even act on something like that, then how can we expect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to think we are genuine in addressing some of the other major issues on a much grander scale with regard to disadvantage and discrimination, which continue to cause such difficulty?

I would also like to mention tonight and to put on the record my concern as a representative of Queensland about the major problems in the Torres Strait. We've again seen reports in the last week of major damage from king tides—in this case on Yam Island. This is a problem that's been identified for many years. I would note the efforts of the member for Leichhardt, the seat that covers that area. Mr Warren Entsch, somebody I disagree with on many issues, has advocated for many years for action on this and did get some funding provided. That funding was able to construct and strengthen the sea wall on Saibai Island. But, as we've seen, that sea wall was still breached by king tides. It would have been far worse if that wall wasn't there, let me say. But that wall was again breached, and damage occurred.

There are other islands, including Yam Island, and I encourage all senators—particularly those from Queensland—and anybody listening to this to look at some of the video footage and the messages from the residents themselves. It's another simple example of just listening to Torres Strait Islander people, to those who are directly affected. We can't say we don't know just because it's a long way away. It's very real to those people and it's a growing threat to them year after year. We do have programs and funding available that's meant to support regional and remote parts of Australia, and, as has been noted by others, programs specifically put up to provide funding for infrastructure for regional areas. Somehow or other, it's ended up being spent in government members' electorates in Sydney.

Let's actually follow through on some of our rhetoric for once. Let's actually follow through on listening directly to what the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are, whether they're about addressing their perceptions about what needs to be done to move our whole nation forward together or whether they're about addressing a very real, very immediate longstanding unresolved problem for residents in the Torres Strait in the northernmost part of our country. That is something that is directly and significantly harming people's lives on those islands right now, and they need to have action taken now.