Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians hear a lot from us politicians in this place, but, more often than not, kids say it best. Today I am going to read a speech by my 11-year-old daughter, Octavia, which she gave a couple of weeks ago on the upcoming referendum for a voice to parliament. It is as follows:

"The track behind us is littered with the relics of polic ies, programs and projects that failed, that wasted taxpayers' money and failed to deliver real outcomes to those crying out for them. They failed mainly because they did not include Indigenous people in making the decisions. "

These are the words of Patrick Dodson in 1996. Sadly, it appears not much has changed since then.

In 2008, the Australian government made a formal commitment to address First Nations disadvantage in Australia, known as "Closing the Gap". The Gap refers to the inequality between First Nations People and non-Indigenous Australians.

Did you know that First Nations people make up only 3.2 per cent of the Australian population? However,

1. They are 12 and a half times more likely to be imprisoned as an adult;

2. They are 26 times more likely to be imprisoned as a child.

3. Their mortality rate is 1.7 times higher; and

4. 61% of First Nations People die before the age of 65 compared to 17% for Non Indigenous Australians.

In 2017, Indigenous people from all across Australia met at Uluru for a very special meeting. They had important discussions and they wrote the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which suggests that Indigenous people should have a Voice, and we should have Treaty and Truth.

The Voice would be a group of Indigenous representatives chosen by Indigenous peoples from around Australia to offer advice to the government and Parliament on matters that affect them.

In late 2023, Australians will have their say in a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia, through an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice enshrined in our constitution.

The Australian Constitution is the set of rules by which Australia is governed.

For the Referendum to succeed, a majority of voters need to vote yes, plus there needs to be a majority of voters in at least 4 out of 6 states.

There is proof that programs which are developed with an Indigenous voice are trusted and can work, such as the First Nations response to COVID and the Koori Courts.

As our Prime Minister recently said in parliament:

"Imagine that you stand on the other side of the gap. Imagine that your brothers and sisters are likely to die a decade younger than the general population. Imagine that your son is statistically more likely to go to jail than to go to university in 2023. Imagine that people in your community are twice as likely to commit suicide as anywhere else. Imagine that the rate of disease and disadvantage among your friends and neighbours is far higher than elsewhere. Then imagine that, after generations of being sidelined and ignored, you are finally given an opportunity to change it and to be heard."

The greatest way you can help close the gap and support the 'yes' campaign is by speaking with your family, friends and neighbours and being informed. Voting yes in the Referendum is crucial to improving the lives of Indigenous peoples, as we are voting yes to recognition and fairness—

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