Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for your words, Senator Scarr. They are deeply appreciated from my point as well. I would like to take this opportunity to also thank our Clerk of the Senate and all staff who have been with us all through these hours of debate until the early hours, and also all staff, both on our side and on your side, because it is an incredibly historic time for our country. Yes, no or in between, it is a historic time for our country. I would also like to make special mention of Ken Wyatt, a man of great wisdom, someone who I believe has really charted this course in a way that was incredibly dignified and difficult. I want to put on the record what an outstanding parliamentarian Ken Wyatt was, our first Indigenous affairs Minister who is Indigenous, a coalition minister, who carried the Uluru Statement from the Heart in his heart throughout his time as a cabinet minister and certainly post his life as a cabinet minister and working now with the referendum working group and the engagement group. I'd also like to thank the Liberals for Yes and Julian Leeser. It is important that we do try to look at the debate as best we can from a spirit of respect and dignity. I do appreciate the work of Julian, in particular, and also Senator Andrew Bragg.

This will be a very difficult time, but I share a different view from Senator McKim in the sense that I am a very hopeful person. I have a lot of love for this country. I have a lot of love for our Westminster system and form of democracy. I do believe that is if there's ever a time for our country to bring the best out of each other, it is this time. This is the time for our country to really strive to be the best that it can be, whether you are yes person or a no person or in between. This is about the journey and the way we walk it, whatever the results are when we come out the other side of this. I like to think of it as akin to going onto the footie field or the softball field. You want to bring your best skills to the game; you want to stand up and feel proud, but you want to do it because you love what you do. In this instance we all love our country, Australia. Let's make sure that whatever happens, on that field after the referendum we can shake each other's hands and be proud that we are all who we are and we have made our country greater. Thank you.