Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

The problem you have, Minister, is that these design principles are so vague that they don't actually explain anything at all. To the point that you just made, you said that community led means led by the community, but the problem is we have spent considerable time tonight talking about exactly what community means. You have been unable to inform the chamber as to what that is. You basically said 'I refer to my previous answer—that is a matter for the parliament.' Senator Nampijinpa Price went through what the government means in relation to community. You were not able to answer. When you say that community led means led by the community, you are actually failing to answer the question, because in the first instance you don't even know what the meaning of community is.

Let's now go to your answer to me in relation to what it means to be culturally informed. Again, I put to you that you have had a considerable debate tonight with Senator Nampijinpa Price in relation to that exact issue. Again, you have failed to answer any of those questions. When you say to me, 'What does culturally informed mean? It means to be informed by culture', you have failed to answer tonight what that even means. What does the government mean when it says that Voice members must connect to their communities, seeing that we can't even establish tonight what is actually meant by community. Will they be expected to fly around their state or territory to meet community groups? How do they actually go out and meet with their communities?