Tuesday, 20 June 2023

 Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (13:41): Voice, treaty and truth – that is what our elders called for in 2017 when they gathered on sacred land at Uluru to write a new chapter in our national story. There, standing in the footsteps of generations of our ancestors and strengthened by an ancient and powerful connection to country, our elders made a call for a better, fairer future for our children. This year their calls have finally been answered, and with yesterday’s passage of the bill to alter the constitution and enable the Indigenous Voice, we now embark on that long-overdue step of recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution through a Voice to Parliament by referendum.

As a proud Aboriginal woman, I know just how important it is that we do not let this moment slip through our fingers. This referendum is a chance for all of us to come together in the spirit of healing and reconciliation to right the wrongs of the past. It is a chance to acknowledge that governments have tried and failed time and time again but that we are mature enough as a country to acknowledge that and try something new. It is a chance to realise the dreams of our elders who have fought for recognition and self-determination for decades. I invite you to walk with me and my brothers and sisters as we build an Australia that values, listens to and respects the cultures, knowledge and unbroken sovereignty of Australia’s First Peoples.