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

I don't think there's anything remarkable about the likelihood of the Voice making representations on the Closing the Gap targets, when the design principles, as set out in the handy little booklet that I'm glad you've got a copy of, make very clear that the Voice can make representations on matters involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I entirely reject your assertion that I've been lecturing Senator Nampijinpa Price for the last 15 minutes, and I think anyone listening to this debate would equally reject that assertion. The whole idea behind the Voice is that the Voice has the ability to make its own decisions. We're not dictating to the Voice what it can do. The point of the Voice is to hear from First Nations people and give them the ability to make representations. So, if you're suggesting that either it should or it shouldn't provide advice on Closing the Gap targets, then that runs completely against the point of the Voice.