Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Words are important. We know that science has confirmed that the words that we use can shape us, shape our communities and shape our world. That's why it was so powerful when the Rudd Labor government had the courage to say sorry. This month marks 15 years since the Rudd government made the National Apology to the Stolen Generations. I am immensely proud to have been part of that government and to have been in the chamber when then Prime Minister Rudd gave that very important and well overdue speech 15 years ago.

It's estimated that one in three Indigenous children were taken from their families between 1910 and the 1970s. Many people affected by the stolen generation are still alive today, and they were present for that apology. Those of us that were here on that day can remember looking up at the gallery and seeing the faces of these people and the emotion on people's faces, in the chamber, in the gallery and all around and surrounding Parliament House, where big screens had been set up. You only have to look at the faces of the people present on that day to understand how powerful a word can be. 'Sorry' may seem like a simple word to say, yet it proved so difficult for many governments that came before. Successive governments refusing to say 'sorry' sent a different message to all Australians. We were able to acknowledge past wrongs and recognise the pain and the injustice inflicted upon our First Nations people. The apology united the country to reflect on our shared history. Did it solve all the problems? Of course it didn't. But it was a starting point to work on solving the problems.

While this government is firmly committed to Closing the Gap and taking practical action, we also acknowledge that we are still falling short in many areas. We've seen progress in areas like the birth weight of babies and the number of children enrolled in preschool, but we've also seen a lack of progress in areas such as out-of-home care and adult imprisonment. This is one of the reasons we need to do better. We need to do more, and this is one of the reasons why we're enshrining an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Constitution and why we feel it is so important. We want to empower more First Nations people to be engaged and have a say on the matters that affect them. We know that, when people who are affected are heard, the result is better overall.

This year, Australians will be asked to vote in a referendum to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Constitution. Australians will be asked to choose a word, and that word will determine the country we aspire to be. I will choose to say yes. I'll say yes because I want to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and I'll say yes because I want First Nations people to have a say in the matters that affect them so better policies can be made in this place. I'll say yes because I want Australia's First Peoples recognised in our Constitution.

'Yes' is a powerful word. It says it's time to do things differently. It says we will listen to what the people and the communities have to say about the policies that affect them. Saying yes can provide another powerful unifying moment for Australian history. It is also the best chance we have to address the injustices of the past and create change—change that will deliver a better future. We all stand to benefit by saying yes.

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