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

Again, it's not for me or any member of the government to dictate to the Voice what it can and can't provide advice on. It's up to the Voice to decide what it considers to be matters specific to Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander peoples or matters that affect Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander peoples differently to other member for the Australian community. Whichever example is given, I'm not going to be saying yes to this, not to that. That's up to the Voice, provided the matters relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, which is what the Constitution requires.

While I'm at it, Senator Liddle, I don't think that I've necessarily been to the communities you're talking about. I've certainly been to a number of Indigenous communities across the country, and I'm very well aware of some of the particular cost of living pressures that they experience due to remoteness and the transport costs of getting food—what food is available—to those communities. So I'm very conscious that that is a serious issue facing many remote Indigenous communities.