Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in strong favour of this bill before us today, the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023. Before getting into the detail, I would like to clearly and sincerely acknowledge the land that we stand and have this discussion on tonight, the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, paying my respects to their elders past and present.

I also want to acknowledge the Aboriginal people and nations in South Australia, the state that I am proud to represent. I live and work on the lands of the Kaurna people. I want to thank and acknowledge them for caring for the land that they share with us for tens of thousands of years, land that they are deeply connected to, land that they have cared for with compassion, deliberate action and thought, and lands that they continue to struggle for the rest of us to care for as well.

I want to pay my respects to the resilience and strength of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in this country. We know the real truth of Australia's history is one of colonisation, of violence and dispossession. That, of course, is the recent history. Yet, in spite of all of this, Aboriginal people have survived, they continue to care for this land that we all call home and they are still here, loud and proud.

I want to acknowledge in the chamber today that we have Senator McCarthy and Senator Cox, colleagues of mine who know this struggle better than most, who know deeply the meaning of connection to country, of care for the land and the desire for unity through this particular referendum.

The Greens have long been a party that stands for First Nations justice. We have fought alongside traditional owners to protect their country and ensure better respect for our environment, our animals and for all people. We believe in the right to self-determination and have fought with First Nations people for the rights on a range of issues but particularly for this land that we all call home. We have always listened and valued the voices of First Nations people and sought to walk alongside them.

Now this parliament and this country, very soon, is being asked to do the same. We're being asked to listen, to understand and to walk together with our First Nations people, to enshrine in our Constitution an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, a voice that cannot be taken away at the whim of politicians or political parties, a voice that will ensure that First Nations people have a seat at the table on the issues that affect them and their communities.

In my time in the Senate, I have been lucky enough to work alongside many distinguished leaders from a variety of sectors, but no-one has inspired me and counselled me and shared their wisdom in quite the same way as Uncle Moogy Sumner. Uncle Moogy is a proud Ngarrindjeri man, a teacher, a cultural ambassador, a unifier. He also happens to be the leader of the original Greens, our First Nations Network in South Australia. He's here in the chamber tonight, and I'd like to give him a big thank you for all of the teachings and understanding that he shares not just with me and my family, but our entire community.

I first met Uncle Moogy at the mouth of the Murray—his country, his home. It was at the height of the millennial drought. There was a trickle of water running down the river, not enough to keep the river alive, and there was Uncle Moogy standing on the banks crying out for his country, for his land and for his people. He clearly articulated that the problem that existed, the problem that had been created, was a problem of greed. No respect for the land; no care for the river. Selfishness and greed had drained the river dry. Uncle Moogy was right. And if we listened a little harder and a little better to our First Nations people our rivers, our oceans, our forests, our communities would be better. They'd be safer, they'd be cleaner, they'd be healthier. Uncle Moogy reminds me that the First Nations people of this land are the original Greens: caring for the country, a deep connection to the land and knowing that, as humans, we are simply part of this incredible ecosystem of the environment. We must learn to respect it and each other.

Uncle Moogy has explained to me why the Voice is important to him and his people. He says: 'The Voice, for me and my people, is very important. It's important so that we've got a say in how this country is run, how we look after the land and who looks after the land, but also to talk about things that are happening with our communities. For years we weren't allowed to have a say. We were told to sit down, and told by others that they'd make the decisions on our behalf. What we need now is to have a say.' Thank you, Uncle Moogy, for your leadership.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a generous invitation from the First Nations people of this land to walk with them towards a better future for all of us. That's why we're debating it here today, because this is about the type of country we want to be. This is about us as Australians, as a community, as a nation of people and what we stand for and what we care for. The Uluru statement is clear. It's generous and it says clearly:

We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish …

We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.

Makarrata is the culmination of our agenda: the coming together after a struggle. It captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia and a better future for our children based on justice and self-determination.

That's the kind of country I want to live in. That's the type of nation we should all strive for. That is the type of Australia that this referendum is seeking to deliver. The Uluru statement has three clear asks: truth and treaty and, of course, voice. It is the voice that we are discussing here in this referendum—to deliver a voice to parliament.

We know there is much more work to do. The Greens were the first party to endorse the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and we support progressing, of course—and desperately know it's needed—truth-telling and treaty-making alongside a constitutional voice. This referendum is a chance for us to be on the right side of history. It's a moment that won't come again easily, and it is essential that we win this 'yes' vote this year. A vote for 'yes' is a vote for a fairer, kinder future, one where we are able to talk openly and honestly about the truth of our history and the impact that it has on our present.

It is an issue that should not be politicised, but, sadly, once again, the rights and recognition of our nation's First People are being politicised and used to divide. The nasty politics that seeps through the walls in this place and over the airways of our media is already rolling with a drum beat. It is with utter disappointment I note that the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, is not a man fit to lead this country with the views he holds on this particular issue. Mr Dutton is a man of form. He has form on this issue. He walked out on the apology to the stolen generation. He turned his back on First Nations people 15 years ago and he's turning his back on them now. He will be given fanfare and prominence by others who wish to see this referendum fail.

I say today: don't be fooled by the disinformation, the division, the fearmongering. Be aware of the naysayers, the spivs, the fearmongers, the very same people who, for generations, have benefited from the status quo. They're the ones who don't want this referendum to succeed. Well, let me say this: the status quo isn't working. It's not working for First Nations people, it's not working for Indigenous kids and it is not working to deliver the type of country Australia needs to be if we want to be a modern, strong, robust, compassionate nation.

It is time for us to right the wrongs of the past, to take the next step, to give the First People of this nation the simple proposition of having a say over their own lives and to propel us, as a country, to come to terms with our own real history, the damage that has been done, the violence, the dispossession, the trauma that has endured. It is time for us to say enough is enough. We need unity, we need compassion, we need understanding and we need learning. It is not a complex proposition to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a say over their own lives, the true recognition they deserve in our nation's Constitution, the chance to believe that this is an Australia for all of us and as Australians that we are all safe and respected and can hold compassion. This is why the referendum is important. This is why voting yes is important. It is not for today day; it is for tomorrow. It is for all of our children: our First Nations kids and our non-Indigenous kids. They deserve a country unified, proud, compassionate and caring, and that is what 'yes' is all about.