Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator McCarthy. Come on down. Minister, your government promised to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full when elected in 2022 and had been pursuing this in opposition for many years before. For the past two years, this government, led by the Prime Minister, have attended the annual Garma festival in the Northern Territory, telling not just the Australian people but First Nations people that they will support a makarrata commission as part of this commitment. Why did the Prime Minister just a fortnight ago change this approach, whitewash and water down the important concept of makarrata, the Yolngu word that has been gifted to the nation, to say that it just means coming together after a struggle?

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Cox for the question—my very first question as the Minister for Indigenous Australians. I'm sure there'll be plenty more to come. Yes, Garma was an important weekend not only for the Prime Minister but also the previous minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, who I also would like to commend for her work and her energy in improving the lives for Indigenous people. It was good to attend Garma with both her and the Prime Minister, and our commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart is very much a strong commitment. We remain firm, Senator Cox, in terms of the principles. We remain committed to the principles of the Uluru Statement from the Heart—voice, treaty, truth. We were the ones, under our Prime Minister, who kept that commitment and went to the referendum.

Going to Garma was the opportunity to be with the people—unlike members opposite, who were certainly invited to be a part of that—and to come together not only with the Yolngu people but also First Nations people who did travel there for the weekend. We saw that as an opportunity to reset, regroup and regather, and that's precisely what we were doing. We were listening to First Nations people, unlike those opposite. People were really hurt by the outcome of the referendum—

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not 60 per cent of Australians.

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and this was our opportunity to meet with them, First Nations people—who largely voted yes, Senator Henderson—from across our communities in northern Australia. It mattered. It still matters. As the CEO of the Yothu Yindi Foundation, Denise Bowden, said it was so— (Time expired)

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order across the chamber!

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why don't you listen to Australians?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie! When I call order, that includes you. I have Senator Cox on her feet. Senator Cox, first supplementary?

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, pre election, in 2022, your Labor conference adopted makarrata as a policy. It was pre-costed at $27.7 million, and you even put $5.8 million in the 2022 budget to commence work on establishing an independent makarrata commission to oversee processes for agreement-making and truth-telling. Why is this Labor government now, particularly the Prime Minister, breaking this election promise to the Australian people and gaslighting First Nations people about this election promise?

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me be very clear to the Senate: there is certainly no gaslighting going on in terms of this discussion, and there's certainly great sincerity by the Prime Minister and this government in terms of our relationships with First Nations people.

There is none of that going on, Senator Cox. If anything, we knew, from listening to the people at Garma, that we had to keep going in this space. What was disappointing, President, was that, while we were there, the opposition leader chose to use that time to say no to makarrata, instead of appearing at Garma, where he had been invited. He said no to the Voice. We learnt from that experience that, unless there is bipartisan support, that hurt—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Cash, I am calling you to order.

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We learnt that, unless there is bipartisan support, it's very difficult to pursue. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cox, second supplementary?

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, the Prime Minister, in the media interview at Garma this year, both reneged and walked back this commitment on the policy, the budget line item and the promise. Will your government commit to supporting the Uluru Statement from the Heart's makarrata commission, as scripted in 2017, accept the terms in which it needed to be implemented in full and stop denying First Nations people justice in this country by supporting the development of formal truth-telling and agreement-making in an independent makarrata commission?

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cox, we are supportive of your bill before the Senate in terms of an inquiry to consult across the country. That in itself will indicate to this parliament and this Senate and this government the impact that having such a commission could possibly have. But, as I said in the previous response, we learnt from the referendum. The pain and hardship that was created for First Nations people in this country was because there was no bipartisan support, and we will not endeavour down that pathway without the support of the opposition. The opposition leader made it very clear on that weekend that he is not going to do that. So that makes that pathway very difficult to tread.