First Nations Voice to Parliament

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-131563

Hansard session: Fifty-Eighth Parliament, First Session (58-1)

First Nations Voice to Parliament

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (21:45:13):

This week is National Reconciliation Week. It is time for all of us to learn about our shared histories, our cultures and our achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. In 2023 the theme of Reconciliation Week is "Be a Voice for Generations". It is an opportunity for all of us to be a voice for reconciliation in tangible ways in our everyday lives. Later this year, all Australians will have their say in a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Constitution. Whether you cast your vote at a local primary school, a community centre or a local church, every vote is equal. Every vote is powerful. In the flick of every pen lies the destiny of our people.

Many have asked how I will vote later this year. The answer is simple. I will vote yes, and I will encourage every person that I meet to do the same. This referendum provides all of us with an opportunity to recognise our nation's past while also creating a pathway to a more reconciled Australia. In establishing a voice for First Nations peoples in our Constitution, we will be providing a mechanism by which their voices can be heard on the laws and policies that affect some of our most vulnerable Indigenous Australians. I do not support the Voice in spite of being a Liberal; I support it because I am a Liberal. The Uluru Statement from the Heart says:

We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish.

Our Liberal values direct us to do that which empowers individuals and families the most, and to do that which equips them with the resources to determine their future and write their own story. For too long, top-down government policies and backroom bureaucrats have failed to get the positive outcomes we all want for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our First Nations people still face significant gaps in life expectancy and educational attainment. They are still proportionally the most incarcerated people on the planet. Despite our best efforts, we are not seeing the outcomes we all desperately want.

As it stands, the gap between First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians will not close in our lifetime. The Voice is an invitation from First Nations people for us to set a new way forward. We know that when Indigenous communities are involved in decision-making, we get better outcomes. When people's voices are heard we get better outcomes. To those who say the Voice is a radical reform that will change the way our country works for the worse, I disagree. As Edmund Burke famously said:

A state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation.

The change proposed is a modest and practical measure to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Constitution. The Voice will not have a veto. It will not be a third Chamber. It will not divide Australians. It will exist to provide advice to the Executive and the Parliament. It is a change that will improve Australia. Since 1901 our Constitution has had within in it a gap of silence—a silence that we now have the opportunity to fill with the voices of those belonging to the world's oldest continuing living culture, and a silence that can now be filled with the voices of young and old, stories of sadness, joy and a hope, and the destiny of a people.

Statements from the Soul

As we all come to consider the referendum, I know that there will be people who do not share my position. I know that many people will come to their ultimate decision for a variety of different reasons. I believe that every Australian should consider the facts and avoid being persuaded by those who only wish to mislead. Every Australian should have an open mind to what is being proposed and engage with one another in the spirit of generosity. We must listen and be empathetic to differences of view. We must try to see the other person and understand the invitation that has been provided to all Australians. In closing, I borrow from the words of Father Antonios Kaldas, who I have met many times. He writes in :

What do we lose as an Australian society by granting Indigenous peoples a First Nations Voice? Who is harmed by this? The benefits are many, the drawbacks minuscule. Our better angels whisper to us that living in a just society that respects its elders, values true wisdom and makes kindness a priority is far better than submitting our souls to self-interest and close-mindedness.