Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

As I say, some senators in this debate have asserted that the Voice would undermine equality in the Constitution and divide Australians based on race. This is untrue. This is about recognising the status of First Peoples in this country, and that status is not based on race. Instead, it is connected to the unique fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have occupied the Australian continent for over 60,000 years and represent the oldest continuing living cultures in human history. They have maintained a relationship with the land, waters and skies across Australia since time immemorial.