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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-02-22 Daily Xml
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Uluru Statement from the Heart

Ms CLANCY (Elder) (14:26): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier please update the house about the government's commitment to the Uluru Statement and is he aware of other views on this issue?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:26): I thank the member for Elder for her question. I can certainly inform the house and, indeed, remind the electorate more broadly that on this side of the chamber we are utterly supportive of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, including the provision of a Voice to the South Australian Parliament. That is a view that is an established principle and policy on this side of the house which is underpinned by a shared belief within the South Australian Labor Party that this is the right thing to do.

Of course, as leader of the party, I am very proud of the fact that, as a big believer in the Voice, I will be doing everything I can to ensure that this becomes legislation that passes the parliament and, as a consequence, is established in the state of South Australia. I do think leadership matters here, and I think that it is important that leaders, particularly of parties of government, have a clear policy conviction that underpins their position.

Yesterday, the member for Black, in the media, stated in respect of the Voice that 'the principle here is worthy'. Then he went on to say in a separate media outlet InDaily, 'We're in principle supportive of the concept.' Indeed, the Hon. Michelle Lensink in the other place also stated, and I quote, 'In principle, the Liberal Party supports an Aboriginal representative body.'

So, therein lies a degree of consistency, except now we start to run into problems because the Leader of the Opposition in the other place was also on her feet yesterday espousing a view about the Liberal Party's view of the Voice. She said, and I quote, 'This is an attack on parliamentary democracy and principle.' She goes on to say, 'Quite apart from my objection in principle.' The Hon. Ms Girolamo said in the other place that it's not about outcomes; it's about adding another layer of government, another layer of bureaucracy. That doesn't accord with someone who supports the Voice in principle.

Then, of course, the Hon. Ms Curran from the other place said, 'I disagree with this legislation in principle.' Then, of course, Mr Hood in the other place—that's the one who is already there, not the one who is coming that the Leader of the Opposition is opposed to—said on the Voice, and I quote, 'We will ultimately severely undermine the democratic principles that have served us so well.' So here we are, on this important opportunity to bring the state together to advance the cause of Indigenous affairs, where both parties of government—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —went to the 2022 election with a shared bipartisan position on the establishment of the Voice to Parliament. Having gone through all this and six months of consultation, the Leader of the Opposition says, 'My problem here is about process but we support it in principle,' but his representative, in the other place, says she is fundamentally opposed to the principle.

This is a clear demonstration of the fact that, when it comes to the Voice to Parliament and this important democratic reform, the Liberal Party doesn't know what it believes in. And I am willing to stand on my feet and say that on this side of the house we have a unified position. We didn't show up to the introduction of this Voice to Parliament legislation a couple of weeks ago, and stand with Aboriginal members of our community, and celebrate and clap with them, and then change our position a couple of weeks later. We have a unified and a shared belief that this is the right thing to do, which is why we will continue to see its pursuit through the parliament in a way that we believe the majority of South Australians support.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier's time has expired. I remember, of course too late, that standing order 120 does restrict reference to debate in the other house. There was no point of order raised with me, and it has been the practice of many Speakers to allow or to permit the leader and the Premier a degree of latitude.

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