Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I am not sure of the context of the quote that the senator is using. If it's something similar to what Ms Ley said when minister—she said:

… it needs to be addressed through a national conversation. … This is about the government working with Indigenous Australians and recognising their right to determine what is important to them.

So said Ms Ley.

I would make the point that I have no doubt that Minister Plibersek will, if there are any changes that are proposed, ensure that stakeholders—all stakeholders—are consulted. I know Minister Watt is very consultative in his portfolio with some of the sectors, industries and communities that you reference. I think it is regrettable that the opposition is using the concerns that people have about some state legislation, which I understand, but you people are using it in order to try and fuel some fear about what this government is doing, when we are actually taking a very similar approach to that taken by the previous government.

I go back to the response I gave in, I think, the answer to the second supplementary that Senator Cash gave me. We did have the destruction of Juukan Gorge, and we all, including the company concerned, recognise what a tragedy that was, that destruction of First Nations heritage. And there was an agreement across parliament that we did need to ensure that this didn't happen again. And I regret that the tenor of the questions to me today demonstrates that that bipartisanship, in some quarters—

You may snort, Senator Cash, but I actually think there are some things which should be bipartisan, and it is disappointing that you don't seem to think so. (Time expired)