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

I thank Senator Grogan for her question. On 14 October, every Australian will have a once-in-a-generation chance to bring our country together and to change it for the better, to vote for recognition and listening so we can get better results. You see, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians want the same things for their children as everyone else does. They want them to be healthy. They want them to do well at school. They want them to get a good job. They want them to have the best opportunities they can. And that is what we're all saying yes to.

The call for the Voice did not come from politicians in this chamber. It came directly from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people after years of work and discussions across the country. Nearly 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, leaders and elders endorsed the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017, and it says, 'We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.' This is a modest ask of recognition of this land's First Peoples in the Constitution through a Voice to the Parliament, a voice to help practical progress in health, education, employment and housing to make sure governments make better decisions and spend money wisely. All this is needed because of the challenges facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: a life expectancy eight years shorter than that for non-Indigenous Australians, children almost twice as likely to die before their first birthday, a suicide rate twice as high, and fewer opportunities for education and training.

Governments of both political persuasions with good intentions have spent billions trying to deal with these issues, but we have not achieved lasting improvement. The Voice is the chance to fix this. (Time expired)