Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

We do not support this motion. We don't need another standing committee with another review; we need to make sure existing reviews are completed and implemented. The motion isn't about good governance; it's about politics. Various other similar reviews are underway or being implemented. These should run their course. For example, the Australian Law Reform Commission is already reviewing native title. The review will report in December 2025, similar to the proposed motion. The same witnesses would be encouraged to appear at both inquiries. This is part of the government's additional $20.8 million contribution over four years to improve the native title system, of which the ALRC review is the first part.

A brand-new standing committee launching a whole new review would be at best duplicative and wasteful; at worst it would be destructive and harmful. Small First Nations groups do not have the resourcing to respond to multiple inquiries on the same topic. First Nations communities already experience consultation fatigue. This wasteful duplication would be confusing and distressing for First Nations communities.