❓ Question asks if the Premier will rule out a state-based Voice to Parliament if the federal referendum fails in WA. The Premier avoids a direct 'yes' or 'no', highlighting existing reconciliation efforts and the need for further consultation with First Nations people.
AnsweredQoN 742Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
VOICE TO PARLIAMENT
742. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I refer to the Voice to Parliament
referendum this Saturday and note Labor Senator Pat Dodson's
encouragement of the state government to seriously consider pursuing Western Australia's
own Voice to Parliament regardless of the national outcome. Will the Premier
categorically rule out legislating a state-based Voice to Parliament should Western
Australia's verdict —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr D.J. Kelly : You're
an absolute grub!
Withdrawal of Remark
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bassendean, I require you to withdraw that comment.
Mr D.J. KELLY : I withdraw
it.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr R.S. LOVE : Will the
Premier categorically rule out legislating a state-based Voice to Parliament
should Western Australia's verdict be against Labor's proposed
federal Voice?
742. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I refer to the Voice to Parliament
referendum this Saturday and note Labor Senator Pat Dodson's
encouragement of the state government to seriously consider pursuing Western Australia's
own Voice to Parliament regardless of the national outcome. Will the Premier
categorically rule out legislating a state-based Voice to Parliament should Western
Australia's verdict —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr D.J. Kelly : You're
an absolute grub!
Withdrawal of Remark
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bassendean, I require you to withdraw that comment.
Mr D.J. KELLY : I withdraw
it.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr R.S. LOVE : Will the
Premier categorically rule out legislating a state-based Voice to Parliament
should Western Australia's verdict be against Labor's proposed
federal Voice?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the
question. I would have used my preamble for the last question on this one if I had
known I had one more opportunity, but there you go! Obviously, this weekend we
will all, as citizens of Australia, have a great opportunity to bring this
country together, move forward in an act of unity and reconciliation to create
a regime through the Voice of Parliament that means we can be a more effective
nation in addressing the issues that impact on our First Nations people. As the
Prime Minister said, ''If not now, then when? And, if not us, then who?''
I beseech everyone in this chamber to take the opportunity to vote yes, to be
positive and take this nation forward in an act of reconciliation.
As the opposition has been keen to
point out, I was recently in Adelaide. What I did not appreciate, because I live
in Western Australia, is the wall-to-wall, back-to-back advertising by Clive
Palmer in relation to the No campaign. Now I understand why those opposite
switched their positions. They originally came out supporting the yes vote. All
it took was a quick phone call from Clive Palmer, and there they go again.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Mr R.H. COOK : There they go
again—the puppetmasters.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members!
Mr R.H. COOK : If we want to
know what the member for Vasse is thinking, we will consult Hon Nick Goiran.
This is a huge opportunity for our nation and I fervently
hope that we take it as a nation and step forward together. Obviously, many
people are still to make up their mind, and the conversations that we have over
the next few days will be very important to the outcome.
The member opposite asked whether
we would consider a voice to Parliament in Western Australia as part of a response
after—he hopes—the hopes of Aboriginal people have been dashed.
How he can want that is completely beyond me, but not to worry. That is a measure
of him. What will our response be? In Western Australia, we have already had
some great responses, including the 2014 resolution of the Parliament that
recognised the traditional owners in Western Australia in our Constitution, the
2021 resolution of Parliament that acknowledged the Noongar people as the
traditional owners of the land on which the Parliament meets, and the important
comprehensive native title agreements we have made with the Noongar nation and
with the peoples of the southern Yamatji region. They are important outcomes of
nation-to-nation agreements across a whole range of issues. They are important
opportunities. Of course, we now have our Aboriginal Advisory Council of Western
Australia, an important group of elders and senior and young people who come
together to provide advice to the government on a regular basis and give our policy advisers great insights and
guidance on issues that impact on them. Western Australia has a very
proud record in working with First Nations people, but we must do more, and we
will do more.
We will continue to have the
conversation about how we can work with our First Nations people to work on
reconciliation, to get better outcomes and to make sure that we are proud of
our history and our future. That is not for me to make a call on. That is a conversation
that has to be had with First Nations people and with everyone in the community. It is not for someone like me to
dab a magic wand and say, ''This is what we are going to do.''
This is something that we all have to do together, in unity. I so wish
that those opposite would understand the importance of that unity and that we
all could have stood together for the yes vote on the weekend.
question. I would have used my preamble for the last question on this one if I had
known I had one more opportunity, but there you go! Obviously, this weekend we
will all, as citizens of Australia, have a great opportunity to bring this
country together, move forward in an act of unity and reconciliation to create
a regime through the Voice of Parliament that means we can be a more effective
nation in addressing the issues that impact on our First Nations people. As the
Prime Minister said, ''If not now, then when? And, if not us, then who?''
I beseech everyone in this chamber to take the opportunity to vote yes, to be
positive and take this nation forward in an act of reconciliation.
As the opposition has been keen to
point out, I was recently in Adelaide. What I did not appreciate, because I live
in Western Australia, is the wall-to-wall, back-to-back advertising by Clive
Palmer in relation to the No campaign. Now I understand why those opposite
switched their positions. They originally came out supporting the yes vote. All
it took was a quick phone call from Clive Palmer, and there they go again.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Mr R.H. COOK : There they go
again—the puppetmasters.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members!
Mr R.H. COOK : If we want to
know what the member for Vasse is thinking, we will consult Hon Nick Goiran.
This is a huge opportunity for our nation and I fervently
hope that we take it as a nation and step forward together. Obviously, many
people are still to make up their mind, and the conversations that we have over
the next few days will be very important to the outcome.
The member opposite asked whether
we would consider a voice to Parliament in Western Australia as part of a response
after—he hopes—the hopes of Aboriginal people have been dashed.
How he can want that is completely beyond me, but not to worry. That is a measure
of him. What will our response be? In Western Australia, we have already had
some great responses, including the 2014 resolution of the Parliament that
recognised the traditional owners in Western Australia in our Constitution, the
2021 resolution of Parliament that acknowledged the Noongar people as the
traditional owners of the land on which the Parliament meets, and the important
comprehensive native title agreements we have made with the Noongar nation and
with the peoples of the southern Yamatji region. They are important outcomes of
nation-to-nation agreements across a whole range of issues. They are important
opportunities. Of course, we now have our Aboriginal Advisory Council of Western
Australia, an important group of elders and senior and young people who come
together to provide advice to the government on a regular basis and give our policy advisers great insights and
guidance on issues that impact on them. Western Australia has a very
proud record in working with First Nations people, but we must do more, and we
will do more.
We will continue to have the
conversation about how we can work with our First Nations people to work on
reconciliation, to get better outcomes and to make sure that we are proud of
our history and our future. That is not for me to make a call on. That is a conversation
that has to be had with First Nations people and with everyone in the community. It is not for someone like me to
dab a magic wand and say, ''This is what we are going to do.''
This is something that we all have to do together, in unity. I so wish
that those opposite would understand the importance of that unity and that we
all could have stood together for the yes vote on the weekend.
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