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

I thank Senator Green for her question. I thank the many senators across this place, and not only those on this side of the chamber, who have sought to engage with this important reform respectfully and in a nonpartisan way. We know that the gap in life expectancy between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians is unacceptably wide: 7.8 years for women and 8.6 years for men. None of us should accept this. I think all of us should recognise that decades of failed government policies have failed First Nations peoples and failed to close the gap.

This is precisely the point about the proposed Voice to Parliament. It came about because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people wanted a greater say in the matters that affect them. They want to be empowered to take control of their own lives, not have policies and laws dictated to them by politicians and bureaucrats in Canberra. The Voice is about enabling a better future that will improve the lives of Indigenous Australians on the ground, in communities in practical ways—better outcomes in health, education, housing—because we know from experience that you cannot create better policy and close the gap without listening to and hearing the voices of our First Nations people. The solutions to so many challenges are to be found in those communities, not in Canberra, and the Voice will make sure that those solutions are heard by policymakers here in the parliament.

I note the decision of some opposite to oppose the Voice before they've even seen the legislation. The argument seems to be, 'We need change, so let's keep doing more of the same.' Well, Australians know that does not make sense, and it is ultimately the Australian people, not the politicians, who will decide this referendum, and I believe Australians want to see a better future for all Australians. (Time expired)