Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Child Protection and the Prevention of Family Violence) Share this | Hansard source

Senator, I want to understand more around what you have been saying about the Voice empowering people. With the Voice up and running, who is going to be disempowered by the Voice? I mentioned earlier in my speech that I travelled last week to Uluru and met with a few of the old people out there. They'd travelled a long way to go to the place that they are responsible for—old men who were quite sick with chest infections and that kind of stuff, normal stuff in winter. I'm interested in hearing what matters the Voice would likely be looking at, because I'm want to understand how consistent it is with matters that trouble them, given how far away they are and given some of the very specific issues that affect them. I understand the Calma-Langton report proposes that there might be two representatives, one male and one female, from every state and territory, as well as a remote representative, but 'remote' in Central Australia, down the bottom towards Uluru, is very different to 'remote' in the Top End or over in Arnhem Land. I want to understand: would matters of culture be deferred to the Voice, or would that be left to traditional owners who have the cultural authority to make decisions about that?