Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

Minister, with respect, I have listened to that process. I've listened to the extensive analysis of the glossy brochure. I have never heard cabinet mentioned tonight, nor the process that cabinet undertakes as the executive arm in our parliamentary system. I am interested very much in whether, once Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders elect their representatives for the Voice, that list will be presented to cabinet. Will it be presented to the Governor-General? What is the actual process? Is it just that the AEC says, 'Done; election conducted'—a little bit like local government—and away we go? I'm interested in where those results are reported and whether there is a process that those names and those individuals have to go through within the parliament itself.

It's not up to parliament to approve a list of people. I find that very curious. I've only spent 14 years here, but I'm yet to see that. Whether it's the ARTC Board, any regional development corporation in the agriculture sector, Infrastructure Australia et cetera, there is not a list of people that is put before the parliament to approve. These are usually processes of executive government. If it's not going to be executive government and therefore a cabinet process, I'm asking if it will indeed be the representative of the sovereign, the Governor-General, who will be examining those people elected to the Voice or if it will just be the AEC.