Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, who are the traditional custodians of the land on which the Australian parliament meets. I acknowledge their elders past and present and their connection to the lands, waters and skies around us.

It is an honour to represent the constituents of the electorate of Brisbane in this House. The lands of Brisbane belong to the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples. The traditional name for Brisbane is Miguntyun, or Meeanjin. The southern border of the electorate of Brisbane is Maiwar, the Brisbane River.

Colonisers first surveyed Moreton Bay and greater Brisbane in 1799. In the 1820s, New South Wales Governor Thomas Brisbane tasked John Oxley with finding an alternative site for a penal settlement for convicts. In 1824, Oxley sailed into Moreton Bay and recommended that greater Brisbane be the side of this settlement. This marked the beginning of the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples being deliberately killed. With the intent of the destruction of their nations, they were subjected to genocide.

Cutting through my electorate is Boundary Street in Spring Hill. My colleagues the member for Ryan and the member for Griffith also have a Boundary Street or a Boundary Road in their electorates. These street names originate from the 1860s, when those remaining Yuggera and Turrbal peoples were pushed to the fringes of Brisbane by British colonists. At each location in Bardon, Spring Hill and West End there were boundary posts. First Nations peoples were only allowed to cross these posts during working hours so that they could be used as labour for the benefit of white people in the township of Brisbane. Mounted police would patrol the townships and the boundary posts after 4 pm to exclude First Nations peoples from their own land. If caught inside the boundaries of the township, punishment would presumably have been severe.

What is now known as Australia—the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples and the lands of those hundreds of other sovereign Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations—was invaded. Sovereignty from First Nations peoples was never ceded. Successive governments at federal, state and local levels have perpetrated grave injustices, dispossession and imprisonment since colonisation. These injustices continue to this day. Systemic racism is embedded into the fabric of our laws and social policies in this country and impacts every aspect of First Nations peoples lives. It is through this lens that the Australian Greens and I come to the consideration of this legislation, the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023. The Greens will be supporting the 'yes' campaign during the referendum.

It is important to acknowledge that the Voice to Parliament is one element of the story of the Uluru statement. As the first party to endorse the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, we support progressing truth-telling and treaty-making alongside the Voice referendum. A successful referendum later this year could be the start of a decade of change for First Nations people as we move towards truth-telling, treaty-making and self-determination. We have an opportunity to change things for the better with First Nations people throughout this nation. The Greens are committed to working with the government to advance First Nations justice while listening to the concerns of First Nations people around the country. I note the Prime Minister has said he is committed to implementing the Uluru statement in full, and in the October 2022 budget the government committed $5.8 million to a makarrata commission. But they are yet to show any real action or progress on truth-telling and treaty-making. I urge the government to advance these elements of the Uluru statement this year.

I am disappointed that there are those in this place, namely the coalition, who were seeking to derail the Voice referendum and stand against advancing First Nations justice. This referendum is about recognising and respecting the First Peoples of this country and their culture, the oldest living culture in the world. The dog whistling, racist rhetoric by many of those in this place should be rejected, and it's certainly rejected by the people of Brisbane. I thank those residents of Brisbane who have contacted me about the Voice referendum. I have considered all of your correspondence and thank you for sharing your views with me. I note that the overwhelming sentiment of this correspondence was in favour of progressing all elements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Lastly, and most importantly, I would like to thank the elders who have spoken to me about the upcoming referendum and who are the traditional custodians of the lands now known as Brisbane. I thank those elders who represent community controlled organisations in my electorate who have spoken with me about the issues over the past year. I also thank the Australian Greens and Queensland Greens First Nations networks, whose representatives have met with me over the past year about the Voice referendum. I deeply appreciate the time that local elders, community controlled organisations and First Nations networks have taken to outline their views and engage with me. I deeply respect your views and understand your positions on the referendum. I hope that we can continue to work together in the lead-up to the referendum and long after as we work towards truth-telling, treaty-making and true justice for First Nations peoples.

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