Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Acting Deputy President. I rise as the Greens leader in the Senate to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land that we're on, the Ngunnawal people, and acknowledge that as sovereignty was never ceded we're on stolen land. This was and always will be Aboriginal land, and I would like to pay tribute to the First Nations parliamentarians in this place.

In relation to the last contribution, which we just heard from One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, it's the racism that we've come to expect from her and her party. I might note that this is precisely why the Greens are pushing for a parliamentary code of conduct that would ban hate speech. I would like to apologise on her behalf for the offence that was likely caused to many listening to those words. They don't reflect the sentiment of this chamber, nor do I believe they reflect the sentiment of the vast majority of Australians.

We heard some very fine words from the Prime Minister this morning, but words will not close the gap; action will. So far, this government is known for the racist Northern Territory intervention, the racist cashless debit card, cutting half a million dollars from the Indigenous Advancement Strategy and cutting funding for the Family Violence Prevention Legal Service. And just this week, in court, it was arguing that Indigenous people with dual citizenship should be deported as aliens. So the Prime Minister's remarks this morning were, frankly, hypocritical, compared to the actions of this government. In fact, he went so far as to imply that the Closing the Gap targets were too ambitious. No! No, they are not, and we need truth, treaty and justice. I support and endorse the comments made by our wonderful spokesperson for Indigenous affairs, Senator Rachel Siewert, and pay tribute to the many years that she's worked on these issues.

I want to make just a few remarks about the issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and about some resourcing matters. First Nations women experience violence at three times the rate of non-Indigenous women. First Nations women are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence than non-Indigenous women. The government's fourth action plan for the elimination of violence against women did start to make some positive noises. It noted the need to respect and listen to First Nations people affected by violence and to acknowledge their unique experiences; it noted the need to deliver 'high-quality, holistic, trauma-informed and culturally safe supports' suited to the complex needs of First Nations women and children; and it noted the need to address the immediate impacts and underlying drivers of family violence in First Nations communities through collective action. But, despite those commitments, the government cut funding to the National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services Forum—FVPLS, as it's known. The forum is the coordinating body for First Nations organisations that are dedicated to addressing family and domestic violence, and it plays a critical role in implementing culturally safe family violence prevention services. It works to give a collective voice to First Nations women and children affected by family violence and it helps to shape effective, targeted and culturally appropriate government policy responses.

There was a national evaluation of the FVPLS program, and it recommended increased funding to support members, to develop resources and to share information about best practices. Those are exactly the things that the FVPLS national forum is providing, yet the government cut its funding. The cuts are entirely inconsistent with this so-called Closing the Gap Refresh and the principles of co-design. The cuts will put culturally appropriate family violence services at risk and, by doing so, put First Nations women and children at risk. The Greens have called on the government not only to reverse those funding cuts to the national FVPLS forum but to increase funding to this critical service. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO said this in response to the cuts:

The National FVPLS Forum supports our women and helps to keep us and our families safe. It is also a member of the Close the Gap Campaign, and we must ask how we can close health and wellbeing gaps when the organisations tasked with doing so are themselves under threat of closure.

On maternal health care: the Closing the gap report recognises that maternal health, including antenatal and prenatal care, is the key driver in reducing Indigenous child mortality. Complications in pregnancy and birth result in a widening gap between Indigenous child mortality and non-Indigenous child mortality, and this is inexcusable. History and politics continue to shape the lives and the health of First Nations peoples overall, affecting the health of First Nations women and their babies. I want to note the tragic death of Naomi Williams, a 27-year-old Wiradjuri woman who was 22 weeks pregnant when she died of septicaemia in 2016. Ms Williams had made 20 visits to various medical centres in the months leading up to her death but had been turned away or given little medical attention. Last year a New South Wales coronial inquest into her death identified clear and ongoing deficiencies in the care Ms Williams received. The coroner found that implicit bias, lack of culturally appropriate providers and a lack of Indigenous representation in health services and boards could no longer be denied. The government must do more to urgently improve access to culturally appropriate care, particularly in maternal health.

The last thing I want to address is the fact that this government continues to ignore First Nations people on resource decisions. Fracking for shale gas has started in the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory against the wishes of traditional owners, who are terrified about the impacts on their water resources. This government has ignored them. In fact, our environmental laws don't even cover fracking if it's for shale gas. The federal government did, however, approve the pipeline for the export of that gas. This government also has repeatedly voted against my draft legislation, my bill, to give landholders, including traditional owners, the right to say no to fracking, to coal and to gas.

Sadly, there are more examples. The Wangan and Jagalingou people in my home state of Queensland have unequivocally opposed the Adani coalmine. They did not consent to the mine and they have fought it in court. They continue to fight it, even when Adani have callously pursued Wangan and Jagalingou council leader Adrian Burragubba for costs. This government has not only ignored them but approved the mine. But it also stood by as the Queensland government extinguished native title over the Wangan and Jagalingou country to enable the mine to proceed. This government has allowed traditional owners to be treated as trespassers. And, just this week, it took the High Court to rule that Indigenous people who are dual citizens are not aliens in their own country. There is a credibility gap between this government's words and its actions. We need not just a refresh of the Closing the Gap approach but a refresh of the people running this joint.