Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I hear an interjection, unfortunately, from one of the Labor senators. As a former chair of the Joint Committee on Native Title and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund, I know the very good work that I was able to do with my good friend and colleague Senator Minchin. He put through this parliament the Indigenous land use agreements. They were fought by the tokenism of others in this place, but they have been of very real, practical application and benefit to Indigenous communities.

If we want to talk about the aspirations of the Indigenous community, I ask those opposite to listen to the views of an Aboriginal leader who is their former federal president in relation to the impact on Indigenous employment of their mining tax. Being confronted with Mr Mundine pointing out to them the difficulties that will be visited upon the Indigenous community by the mining tax and being confronted with having voted against the wild rivers legislation—both major issues in the Indigenous community absolutely undermining its right to self-determination and to fulfil its aspirations—what does the Labor Party do? Rush in this morning and say the issue of the day has to be a welcome to country ceremony once every three years.

I think the Indigenous community and the vast majority of Australians will see through this motion by the Leader of the Government in the Senate when it is seen in the context of what Labor has been doing in relation to Indigenous aspirations just yesterday with the wild rivers legislation and also in relation to the mining tax. I do not seek to delay the Senate any further.