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

I first acknowledge the traditional owners of this land on which we gather, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging, and I pay tribute to First Nations colleagues in this chamber and across the parliament. I particularly want to pay tribute to government's First Nations caucus—Senator McCarthy, who provides wise and energetic leadership as minister, as well as former minister Linda Burney, Senator Stewart, Ms Scrymgour and Mr Reid. They are central to the Albanese government's work to build Australia's future —a brighter, more inclusive future—and a stronger and more united nation.

Colleagues, this year marks 17 years since former prime minister Kevin Rudd took such an important step forward in our reconciliation journey by making the National Apology to the Stolen Generations—a profound acknowledgement of past wrongs and a commitment to a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples share in the same opportunities and outcomes as all Australians. It was a moment of profound unity in this country. We know that commitment as Closing the Gap.

In realising that commitment, we all know we still have a long way to go. But Senator McCarthy has outlined in detail the ways in which this government is working in partnership with states, territories and peak organisations to close the gap. As Senator McCarthy has said today and on so many occasions, her priority is collaboration and working with others. The government is delivering record funding in health, education and housing, and, just last week, announced more than $840 million to fund essential services in remote communities. We are committed to building on our record investments and to easing cost-of-living pressures in remote communities. We know that, by working in genuine partnership with First Nations people, we can ensure that better outcomes for all are delivered. Minister McCarthy has said our focus is to build on these achievements and to continue to deliver action that will improve people's lives, leaving nobody behind.

So often the discourse on reconciliation has a tone of burden, with little expression of the vast contribution First Nations people have always made to Australia and the contribution they continue to make to Australia every day. This includes their contribution to Australia's place in the world. As foreign minister, I have sought to elevate First Nations international engagement, seeking to close the gap in how Indigenous Australians are included in the effort of advancing our interests in the world. First Nations people were this land's first diplomats. First Nations people were this land's first traders. First Nations people have built enduring economic and cultural ties across our region, and we recognise that these ties to the region are an asset as we seek to rebuild trust and Australia's reputation with our nearest neighbours. That is why I appointed Mr Justin Mohamed as Australia's first Ambassador for First Nations People. The work of the ambassador and his office has reinforced Australia's influence in the Pacific, where traditional leadership structures play such an important role shaping public opinion and government policies. The ambassador has engaged with the leaders in Papua New Guinea, in Solomon Islands, in Fiji, in Vanuatu, in Tuvalu and in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Now, I know there are some who seek to diminish the value of these engagements and our approach to the region. I invite them to visit the region and talk to traditional owners and traditional leaders about their views. I invite them to consider whether their domestic political pointscoring is more important than Australia doing everything we can to strengthen our ties across our increasingly contested region. First Nations engagement makes Australia stronger and it makes Australia safer. As the Prime Minister has said:

It is a rich, proud and deeply remarkable story, a story of hope, achievement, and survival against the odds.

And it should be shared.

The Albanese government recognises that First Nations people's success in the world is Australia's success. We know international engagement doesn't support just our strategic and diplomatic objectives in the region; it has economic benefits for First Nations people and Australia as a whole. First Nations businesses can be drivers of economic growth, seizing opportunities for investment, trade and innovation at home and all around the world. That's why the ambassador and his office have been central to securing the first-ever dedicated First Nations provisions in the Australia-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement—an agreement that ensures Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses can expand into new markets. We have also facilitated First Nations trade missions to the United States and other key partners to boost exports and open new investment channels, all of which helps make the Australian economy stronger, more resilient to shocks and more competitive.

The Albanese government has also fought for and secured the Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge. It is a landmark agreement that for the first time ensures First Nations people's genetic resources and traditional knowledge will have formal legal recognition. Today I can announce to the chamber another achievement: the successful conclusion of the Riyadh Design Law Treaty—a treaty that makes it easier for Australian designers, especially small and medium-size businesses, to protect their intellectual property overseas. Critically, it ensures that Indigenous cultural expressions and traditional knowledge are protected in design law. These are agreements that safeguard Australia's competitive edge, preserve our national identity and help secure our economic future by ensuring that First Nations businesses and designers have greater opportunities out there in the world. These international efforts shine a light on how closing the gap across all our endeavours is so firmly in Australia's national interest. Our greatest asset is our people. As the PM said today:

Each one of us is a part of this nation's story.

Each of us adds to its newest chapters.

Like anything made stronger by its layers, we draw strength from Australia's extraordinary and profound depths.

The contributions of all our people will be decisive in Australia's ability to be resilient and effective in navigating a world that is more uncertain and more unstable, so closing the gap is more than addressing disadvantage. It is about that, but it is also about building a stronger and more prosperous future for Australia, and what we know is that, when First Nations people are included and empowered, all Australians benefit. We know that an Australia that is stronger at home is stronger in the world.