Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Australians. On Tuesday, the minister was asked about gender parity on the Voice. The minister responded by outlining principles in relation to this matter. Can the minister now inform the House exactly how gender parity on the Voice will be achieved?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order. Order. Members on my right will cease interjecting. The member for Lindsay was heard in silence and so will the Minister for Indigenous Australians, because she has the call.

Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank the member for Lindsay for her question. It's very similar to a question that I received earlier in the week. What I can say very clearly is that the principles of the Voice are agreed to and they outline clearly the way in which the Voice will have gender parity.

In fact, it's not a new idea and didn't come about in the last 12 months. It was something that was very heavily suggested in the Julian Leeser/Patrick Dodson inquiry some years ago. It is important that we have gender parity, and it is not difficult to achieve. The most important thing about this Voice is that, as the Prime Minister has said, it is an advisory body to the parliament. And, as the third part of the amendment also says, you—everyone in this chamber, in this House—will have a role in determining the scope and the function and how the Voice will operate. This is an important point. I will just reiterate that the Voice is advisory, it will not deliver programs and it has no veto power.