Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, the history of this country includes having our own people be part of our own genocide. In this case, that is what is happening. Free, prior and informed consent has not been obtained from the traditional owners whose land it is to destroy our oceans and every totem in our oceans that are for all of our future generations. Not just blackfellas in this country but all of our generations depend on what is in the ocean and in all of the oceans surrounding this beautiful country. You lot get together, and you are in bed with the developers. Your donations are so important to your political agendas that you're willing to sacrifice our oceans and the totems that belong in those oceans and the songlines that belong in those oceans. Shame on you all—shame for the genocide that each and every one of you continue because your donations are so much more important. How do you sleep at night, knowing that you are destroying your own country and your own ocean? What do your ancestors say about that? Shame! Seismic testing on my country—where's your consent? You're going to kill the whales. What about the whale stories and the Dreaming and the songlines that connect the oceans around this country?

If you want to talk about truth-telling, why don't you talk about the truth for those defenceless totems that we've maintained? Are you willing to kill them in the name of your party and your party donation? Is that what you're willing to do? You are complicit in the ongoing genocide, which includes destroying our oceans and destroying our songlines, all for a dirty little donation to get you re-elected. Shame on you all! I hope this haunts you all forever. I hope this haunts your families forever.