House debates

Monday, 13 August 2018

Statements by Members

Australian Constitution

4:44 pm

Photo of Graham PerrettGraham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I'm holding a roundtable forum in my electorate of Moreton this Saturday, 18 August, at noon. I'm co-hosting this special event with the Queensland state government minister Leeanne Enoch and Senator Patrick Dodson, the shadow assistant minister for Indigenous affairs. The roundtable will be a chance to discuss the path towards Indigenous recognition in the wake of the historic Uluru Statement from the Heart. Many Australians want to see fairness and justice for First Nations people and respect their calls for a voice to parliament and a national process of truth-telling and agreement-making.

Labor is determined to give First Nations people a say in the matters that affect them, including through a constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament, should the Australian people so decide. To achieve change, we need the community to come with us on this journey, in the dialogue and in the eventual negotiation that will be required, and it needs to be the whole community. Local leaders from the Indigenous community as well as leaders from the multicultural community have been invited to attend the Moreton forum. I'm very excited about the opportunity this forum will give all the communities on the south side to be involved in this process, and I hope it is a wonderfully uniting and educating experience.