Here are some extracts from Second Reading speeches by Members and Senators of the Australian Parliament on the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) Bill 2023. They are drawn from the Draft Hansards for 22-31 May (Representatives) and 13-16 June 2023 (Senate).
Members of the House of Representatives
‘We will walk hand in hand with First Nations Australians and grasp the chance of meaningful reconciliation offered by them. We will support the proposal that commands the support of over 80 per cent of Indigenous Australians. And we will campaign and we will win—not for us, but for every Australian in all corners of this wide brown land.’ (Alicia Payne MP, ALP ACT)
‘Australia stands on the shoulders of 1,600 generations of First Nations people. That is our shared history. In my first speech to parliament, I spoke about being in this place to be a good ancestor. It is up to us now to prepare for the generations ahead. Through this legislation and this referendum, the Albanese government is giving all Australians the opportunity to be good ancestors, to accept the invitation from First Nations people to walk with them and to build a better future together and to implement practical and symbolic reform.’ (Hon. Anika Wells MP, ALP QLD)
‘This constitutional change is a reasonable proposition. It's a thoughtful proposition that complements our system of government. It's something that can make a practical difference to the lives of Australia's First Peoples. At Uluru, First Nations delegates presented this nation with a gift, with an opportunity. This referendum is a chance for Australia to do something we can all be proud of: build a better country together. (Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, ALP NSW)’
‘In final summary, historic racial unfairness should be excised from Australian life and our Constitution because it is morally wrong. When we vote “yes”, we say to our children—and, indeed, the rest of the world—that Australians are at terms with our past; that we are a modern, inclusive and open-minded nation. We send a message that we acknowledge that our country has a proud Aboriginal history. We say that we want the next generation of our Aboriginal kids to grow up with a better deal than their parents and their grandparents had. It will allow us to create the next chapter of the nation.’ (Hon. Bill Shorten MP, ALP VIC)
‘In conclusion, Australians will cast their vote in this referendum 60 years after the Yirrkala bark petitions were tabled in the old parliament; 56 years after the 1967 referendum; 48 years after the sand poured through Vincent Lingiari's hands; 32 years after the Barunga Statement, painted and planned by Yunupingu, was hung on the wall of this parliament; 31 years after the High Court upheld Eddie Mabo's call for justice and overturned the discriminatory fiction of terra nullius; 15 years after we said sorry to the stolen generations. All of those were opposed at the time. All of those we were told would lead to bad outcomes. All of those are celebrated now. We hold them up as milestones of national progress. We see them as testament to the instinctive generosity and optimism and character of the Australian people. A “yes” vote at this referendum is a chance for all of us to take the next step on the journey of reconciliation, to be counted and to be heard on the right side of history—more than that, to be part of a better and more reconciled future and nation.’ (Hon. Anthony Albanese MP, ALP NSW)
Through the Voice, First Nations people will finally get a mechanism to challenge the government and hold it to account by being empowered to raise their concerns. For instance, through the Voice, First Nations people will be able to advise government about what is really needed to keep First Nations people out of prison. It will be able to provide advice and recommendations on why effective justice reinvestment is crucial to keeping people out of the justice system, to improving their lives and keeping them out of prison. And this is important. This is the sort of reason we all should support the “yes” vote. We need to listen to what First Nations people believe is needed and to act on their recommendations, if we are to have the best chance of turning around the terrible injustices being meted out to First Nations people to this day. (Andrew Wilkie MP, IND TAS)
‘With this proposed referendum, our nation faces a test of maturity. Are we mature enough to recognise and acknowledge the reality of our nation's past—the pain and suffering caused by decades of injustice? Are we mature enough to strive towards a better version of ourselves—to strive towards a fuller and more inclusive definition of what it means to be an Australian? In the language of our anthem, can we advance Australia to be more fair?’ (Andrew Charlton MP, ALP, NSW)
‘We have a choice: whether to write a future for this country where all people walk together and where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people no longer have higher mortality rates, higher incarceration rates, lower education rates and lower school completion rates; or—the other choice—whether we relegate the voice of our First Nations people to the margins of history, as it has been for 200 years.’ (Hon. Anne Aly MP, ALP WA)
‘I hope that all members of parliament will find it in their hearts to see the importance of supporting this positive step forward, a step to recognise Australia's First Nations People, to recognise that these people were here for 60,000 years before any white person came to Australia, to actively work towards creating a more equitable Australia and to listen to the voices of our constituents. In my electorate, they want to see a future of recognition and respect for all Australians, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.’ (Julian Leeser MP, LP NSW)
‘It's important to be clear: positive impact cannot happen overnight. But I am confident the Voice will bring about positive change on the ground. I support the Voice because it is a considered proposal backed by cultural authority. It's not a new idea. It's not a rushed idea. This idea gained support from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country after the detailed grassroots dialogues in 2017 that crystallised in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Over 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives issued the statement calling for this constitutional reform.’ (Helen Haines MP, IND VIC)
‘I'm a minority. I'm a migrant. I came to Australia as a child. But what I didn't experience in Australia was being removed from my mother. What I didn't experience in Australia was the butchering of my people. And I certainly didn't have my property and my land removed from me; in fact, quite the opposite. This country opened its arms and carried me and my family forward. But those same privileges—in fact, rights—have been denied our First Nations people for too long. Why? Because they carry such trauma that is passed like a bad gene from one generation to another to another, and it cascades and balloons, and it crushes and crumbles people to the ground. So while they are struggling to just make ends meet and survive day to day it is now up to us to turn around and reach back and help them come up. And we do that by listening to what they want.’ (Michelle Ananda-Rajah MP, ALP VIC)
‘Our First Nations people have been subjected to shocking and appalling treatment throughout Australia's past. While we cannot erase that history, we can acknowledge and recognise what happened and, more importantly, learn from it and do better. Our First Nations people have endured so much since colonisation, and this has continued into recent decades.’ (Tracey Roberts MP, ALP WA)
‘Unfortunately, one of the reasons it has become necessary to strive for constitutional change is because the story of our First Nations people since the arrival of settlers is in truth a harrowing one. It is a history of deep trauma and pain. Indigenous Australians were dispossessed of their land, were the victims of massacres, had their children stolen from them, and had their language, culture and connection to country intentionally suppressed and destroyed.’ (Sophie Scamps MP, IND NSW)
Senators
‘[T]his bill does not give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples any special rights or privileges. It also does not take away the rights or privileges of any other person or group. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face significant gaps in life expectancy and in educational attainment, and they are proportionally the most incarcerated peoples on the planet. The Voice would have tangible benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It would not negatively affect the lives of non-Indigenous Australians. In fact, improving outcomes for First Nations people benefits us all.’ (Senator Hon. Murray Watt, ALP QLD)
‘In Yanyuwa we are known as li-Anthawirriyarra, which means our spiritual origin comes from the sea country. It means we listen. We listen with our ears, with our hearts. We know that we are imperfect creatures. We know that we have to constantly strive to be the better part of ourselves. And I see that here in this debate. There are those who are “no”, there are those who are “yes”, and there are those who are unsure, but all the while challenging each other to be the better part of ourselves throughout this. That is the tone that I ask that we keep and maintain throughout our journey towards the referendum—that we maintain that and we hold that.’ (Senator Hon. Malarndirri McCarthy, ALP NT)
‘I remember the day I first read the Uluru Statement from the Heart, when it was first publicly released in 2017 after that historic gathering at Uluru. A short, powerful, generous and heart-wrenching statement to help guide the way forward towards recognition and genuine reconciliation. I was stunned by the generosity contained within—recognition, consultation, a coming together of a country and an invitation to walk together. I was so taken by the generous nature of that statement. I was thinking, after all that had happened—the massacres, the diseases, the policies which had destroyed families and lives for generations; the disadvantage that continues in many parts of this country; the impacts on First Nations children, on culture, on language; the failed policies of government after government—and knowing all that, as we do, we see through the Uluru statement a hand extended.’ (Senator Hon. Katy Gallagher, ALP ACT)
‘Let us remember that recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the custodians of Australia is not an act of charity; it is an act of justice. We must acknowledge their enduring connection to the land, their vibrant cultures, their significant contributions and their ongoing struggles … Last month 120 cultural organisations signed a joint resolution in support of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and every day more and more grassroots organisations are standing with First Nations people and supporting the referendum. The joint resolution rightly describes the Voice as modest, practical and fair. The groups who have signed are from diverse backgrounds, including Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Greek, Vietnamese, Filipino, Sikh, Irish, Iranian, Sri Lankan, Italian, Indian and Chinese community groups. This demonstrates how unifying the Voice will be.’ (Senator Fatima Payman, ALP WA)
‘Over many years, we have spent untold billions of dollars trying to improve the lives of Indigenous people, but we haven't got any better results … The Voice offers us a different path. It offers an opportunity to change tack, to let First Nations people into decision-making processes about them and draw new solutions for old problems that so far we have been unable to solve … For too long politicians and bureaucrats have made laws and policies for Aboriginal people, not with them. The fact is that it hasn't worked, and it can't go on. The fact is that for generations Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been put down, locked out, abused, vilified, dispossessed and, frankly, murdered.’ (Senator Linda White, ALP VIC)
‘To be poor, excluded and silenced on your own land while surrounded by wealth and privilege is downright criminal. And it will be solved only by empowering First Nations peoples to set their own destiny, to build stronger communities and to gain a fair share of this country's wealth for their families, their futures, their kids and their elders … The Voice to Parliament is just one step towards achieving meaningful justice for First Nation peoples while we progress truth telling, treaty making and self-determination. I don't think the Voice is a magic solution to all of this, but it is a start ... Together, we can take that first step on Voice and also travel together along the harder, the longer path of truth telling and treaty making.’ (Senator David Shoebridge, AG NSW)
‘The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a generous invitation from the First Nations people of this land to walk with them towards a better future for all of us. That's why we're debating it here today, because this is about the type of country we want to be. This is about us as Australians, as a community, as a nation of people and what we stand for and what we care for … This referendum is a chance for us to be on the right side of history. It's a moment that won't come again easily, and it is essential that we win this “yes” vote this year. A vote for “yes” is a vote for a fairer, kinder future, one where we are able to talk openly and honestly about the truth of our history and the impact that it has on our present.’ (Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, AG SA)
‘Will the Voice alone fix a history of dispossession? Will it immediately lower the rates of violence or get kids out of prison? No, not on its own, but a successful “yes” vote will show that we are capable of moving forward with purpose. And the Voice will inform the decisions that come next. It will ready us for truth-telling and treaty-making, to finally have the hard conversations that need to be had and to actually act in response, to implement the recommendations of the black deaths in custody report and the Bringing them home report and to actually close the gap, on all metrics.’ (Senator Larissa Waters, AG QLD)
‘We can't be a confident nation if we shirk or deny our history. Part of this history was struggle. There were hundreds of nations across our great continent, on islands and in waterways, for more than 60,000 years, passing down through thousands of generations stories, wisdom, art, agriculture, community and kinship, with songlines across our land. Our 60,000 years of history is one of our greatest national assets. It should be a source of pride, it should be a source of strength and it should be something that we teach our children at every opportunity. The truth is that 60,000 years of history was shattered by European colonisation. That is the truth. That can't be undone. We are a great nation, sure, but we must see the past as it is and put things right.’ (Senator Hon. Tim Ayres, ALP NSW)
‘There is a strong argument that we are not responsible for the things that happened—you're not responsible for the things that your ancestors did—but what we are responsible for is the kind of future that we're building, and I really believe that the centre of that, given our history, has to be reconciliation. This does require change.’ (Senator David Pocock, IND ACT)
‘We all have a role to play, and I want every Australian to embrace this and think about what this could actually mean for the next generation of First Nations people—my children, your children, our grandchildren. What type of country do you want to live in? One where the traditional custodians are listened to and genuinely involved in matters that involve them, or more of the same that has not been working—the legacy of public policy failures that have impacted on generations of First Nations people?’ (Senator Dorinda Cox, AG WA)
Writing three simple letters, saying yes to these words, will mean Australians will have taken the next step towards bettering the lives of First Nations people. It will mean a more united country, united by the desire for progress and a more equal and fair country for everyone. A First Nations Voice to parliament is an opportunity for the Australian people to walk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people towards a better future for all Australians. My great hope is that we will wake up the day after the referendum as a better nation. (Senator Jana Stewart, ALP VIC)