Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her supplementary question. The voice will be an unflinching source of advice and of accountability. It's not a third chamber; it's not a rolling veto; it's not a blank cheque. It's a body with the perspective and power and platform to tell the government and the parliament the truth about what is working and what is not—to tell the truth with clarity and with conviction. So it's not an either/or proposition. We can and must do both.

It won't delay our plan to train 500 new Aboriginal healthcare workers or stand in the way of our new investments in lifesaving kidney dialysis treatment. It won't slow us from upgrading roads or expanding education and economic opportunities. On the contrary, recognition and a voice will accelerate progress, because the accountability of the voice will help us get on track to close the gap.