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

Thank you, Senator McCarthy, for the rewarding and deep speech that you are so well known for. Today is a big day. It's a big day for this parliament, it's a big day for our First Peoples and it's a big day for our nation. Some would say it's a day as big as Uluru, because today the Senate is considering the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 to recognise our First Peoples in our founding document and to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

This referendum is about making us a stronger and more united country, and I welcome members of the Referendum Working Group who join us here in the gallery; the 40 young First Nations people from Jawun who travelled to Parliament House to show support for constitutional recognition; and all of those who join us here today. This referendum is about two simple yet very big things: recognition and listening. It's about finally recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia's Constitution, and it's about establishing a Voice to Parliament to make sure we are listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on issues that affect their lives.

What will that achieve? It will achieve real, practical improvements in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who to this day face lower life expectancy, lower employment, health and educational outcomes, and higher incarceration rates than the rest of us. It's about giving people a say on issues that affect them, like their health and education, because the way we've been doing things without listening has produced those terrible outcomes. It's about acknowledging in our Constitution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been here for more than 60,000 years. It's about being proud of Australia and the oldest continuing civilisation on our planet. It's about making history. It's about helping deliver a fair go for all. As the Solicitor-General and various former High Court judges have advised, the amendment we are debating here today is constitutionally sound.

It is disappointing this morning to see the coalition and their allies continue their campaign of misinformation about what this is about. I respect the fact that not all Australians support the Voice. I respect the fact those who oppose the Voice have the right to campaign against it. But I say to those campaigning against the Voice: with that right comes responsibility, a responsibility to tell the truth. You have a responsibility to not make stuff up and spread things you know are not true.