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

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 1387 standing in my name for today relating to the federal government's spending to commemorate the 250th anniversary of James Cook's first voyage to Australia and the Pacific before asking it be taken as a formal motion.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that the Federal Government is spending $48.7 million to commemorate the 250th anniversary of James Cook's first voyage to Australia and the Pacific, of which $6.7 million is being spent on a replica of the HMB Endeavour to circumnavigate Australia;

(b) recognises that First Nations peoples are still feeling the impacts of ongoing dispossession and oppression and continue to have poor health, employment, justice, housing and education outcomes, and high rates of child removals; and

(c) calls on the Federal Government to reallocate the $48.7 million towards meeting our Closing the Gap targets and a truth telling process.