Fatima Payman (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to begin by acknowledging the Ngunnawal and Ngambri elders and knowledge holders who have paved the way for those here now, those following proudly in their footsteps and those yet to come as custodians and owners of country. I acknowledge Whadjuk country as my home base where I live, care for and maintain continuing reciprocal relationships with all who share this land. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands.

I'm proud to be part of a Labor government that's committed to the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full. More than 60,000 years of wisdom from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is all around us, if we care to listen. This year we mark the 15th anniversary of the National Apology to Stolen Generations when the words of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd reverberated across Australia: 'I am sorry on behalf of our nation.' Truth can be hard, but it helps us to move forward together. There is a long way to go. As we saw in the last Closing the gap report a few months ago, the gap not only persists but is getting bigger. The Albanese Labor government's implementation plan reaffirms that Closing the Gap is a top priority and reflects our unwavering commitment to working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In May, it will be six years since the Uluru Statement from the Heart was delivered after the First Nations National Constitutional Convention. Later this year, all Australians will have the opportunity to vote yes for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. The Voice is about recognising First Nations people in our Constitution. It's about consultation. Recognition is the what and the Voice is the how. This above politics. It's about people, and it will bring us all together. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people deserve to be recognised as custodians of this country, recognising that truth will unify our nation and help us on the journey towards reconciliation.

The Voice will help achieve real practical outcomes and improvements for First Nations people working to close the gap. Since colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been told what to do. The Voice will change that. It's about listening, because local solutions are always better for local issues. I'm optimistic about our future as a reconciled country that proudly recognises our more than 60,000 years of continuous culture. I'm optimistic that, by working together with First Nations people, we can close the gap. I acknowledge my fellow Labor senators, Senator Pat Dodson, Senator Jana Stewart and Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, for all their contributions and work towards the Voice to Parliament.