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

I do appreciate the senator's explanation. I was in the chamber when you gave that earlier answer. I am not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. I don't pretend to come to this debate with a strong understanding or appreciation, like millions of Australian who are going to have to determine how they vote on this. But I come in a spirit of reconciliation and recognition. I am a respectful 'no', but you know my work both as a minister and as a senator in this area. So I do appreciate that explanation. I am gladdened about the minister's guarantee that Australian law will override customary practice where it is violent. I am also interested in Senator Nampijinpa Price's example around underage marriage and how females particularly will be treated. We've all worked very hard, irrespective of our race, to ensure young women and girls aspire to a positive future in this country, and I would hate to see something enshrined in our Constitution that potentially, through unintended consequences, could take that backwards. I'm seeking a guarantee. Thank you.