Andrew Charlton (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The previous speaker on the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 raised a litany of risks associated with the Voice: cost, sovereignty, bureaucracy, process and administration. But the bigger risk isn't this modest change. The bigger risk is that the situation in Australia remains the same—that we retain the gap in life expectancy, that we retain poor educational outcomes for First Australians and that we do not change the shocking health outcomes that persist in many Indigenous communities. That is the risk that First Nations Australians are living with today, and that is why we need a change and that is why we need a Voice.

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?

It's a fundamental fact that listening to communities leads to better laws, better policies and better outcomes, and the Voice proposal enables us to do just that. It will allow for proper representation from our First Nations peoples to inform the decisions that govern their lives, their communities and their future. It will allow for justice and help close the divide when it comes to education, health and economic outcomes. But, at the end of the day, it's also just the right thing to do. It's also just a change that we'll look back on in years to come and see as a positive movement forward in our national story.

I represent a community built on the lands of the Burramattagal people, a clan of the Dharug. Parramatta is a great city, an aspirational city, and it's got a bright future emerging fast as a global city and one of the largest economies in New South Wales. But Parramatta's future is built on solid foundations, set over 60,000 years ago by the Dharug people on land where the fresh and salt water meet in the Parramatta River, creating fertile ground in which generations of Australians have flourished. The lands that the Dharug people presided over and took care of are rich in meaning and resources. Today in the heart of Parramatta's CBD, along the banks of the Parramatta River, you can see the artwork paying tribute to the Burramattagal people, telling the story of Parramatta through the eyes of our First Nations peoples, from time immemorial to the frontier wars to the decades of colonial policies that dug the trench that exists today in the health and education outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

I believe that it's time to add new chapter to this story—a chapter defined by recognition and reconciliation. This is what the First Nations voice is all about. It's what's inspired the design principles which will guide the Voice and ensure fair First Nations representation. The Voice will be able to make representations to the parliament and executive on matters relating to First Nations peoples. The Voice will be chosen by First Nations peoples based on the wishes of local communities and be representative of First Nations communities. The Voice will be empowering. It will be community led. It will be accountable and transparent. The Voice will make a positive difference.

See this speech in context