Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians: Good morning everyone. Ballumb Ambul Ngunnawal yindamarra. Ngadu – yirra bang marang. I pay my respects to the Ngunnawal people – and honour your custodianship and care for country.
Welcome to Australia Secretary and for all of you that have I'm sure figured it out, this is Madam Secretary, Deb Haaland. We are the first Indigenous women to hold Cabinet positions in our respective nations. So this is truly an historic occasion. We are committed to working with you to continue to build a relationship between Australia and the United States. In particular, the relationship between First Nations people here and First Nations people in the United States.
In our meeting today, we talked about the role governments can play in advancing self-determination for Indigenous people. We spoke about the importance of truth-telling in our countries with similar histories of the Stolen Generations and the boarding school generations. Closing the gap, our efforts to close the gap in life expectancy and other indicators between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and what we can learn from similar policy efforts in the United States.
We didn't quite get there, but we're very aware that the Tribal Nations Summit is a very important gathering in the United States, where many voices of First Nations people speak to the federal government. We talked about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, that magnificent document and I have given Madam Secretary a gift of the Uluru Statement to take home with her. And of course, we spoke about the Voice and the referendum, which the Secretary was very, very interested in. Everyone, the eyes of the world are on Australia, as we approach a referendum on constitutional recognition through Voice, later this year.
Finally, we also talked about the role of Indigenous communities in the management of national parks and water resources, and the possibility of a cultural exchange with Indigenous rangers in Australia. And the Native American people of the United States of America.
Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior: Thank you very much, Minister Burney. Hello everyone, it's such a pleasure to be here in Canberra today and to have had the opportunity to travel across Australia this week.
[Remarks in Keres] My name is Deb Haaland. I am a very proud 35th generation New Mexican and very honoured to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land we're standing on and thank Bradley Bell for the warm Welcome to Country and the smoking ceremony.
I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to our Australian friends and partner organisations for all that you and your team have done to host us throughout this really magnificent trip. This has truly been a week I will never forget.
As Minister Burney mentioned, we had the opportunity to meet today to discuss our unwavering commitments to ensuring that Indigenous peoples have the support and resources they need to thrive.
Here in Australia, back home in the United States and all around the world Indigenous communities have stewarded our lands and waters since time immemorial. It is our solemn obligation to ensure that Indigenous peoples not only have a seat at the table, but play an active role in every decision that impacts them and their communities. I’ve had the chance to discuss this in meetings this week with a variety of ministers and state and federal leaders as communities here in Australia and back home in the US continue to face the effects of climate change, Indigenous knowledge will benefit efforts to bolster resilience and protect all communities. At each of our stops, this has been the through line. This is the work we have committed ourselves to.
In Perth, I visited the Bushfire Centre of Excellence, where I learned how First Nations land management techniques dating back 60,000 years are helping to protect communities across Australia from the devastating impacts of intense wildfires. Back home we're also incorporating traditional fire management efforts into our federal wildland fire efforts. And of course, we share a special relationship with firefighters here in Australia, who have travelled to the United States several times over the past few years to help us battle our fires. We owe a great debt to those who put their lives on the line to protect our communities. From wildfire prevention to managing drought and other extreme weather events, we in the United States know that by acknowledging and empowering Indigenous communities as partners in the co-stewardship of our country's lands and waters, every person will benefit from strengthened management of our federal lands and resources.
I know the Australian government feels similarly, something that I was privileged to see firsthand in Uluru. While there I met with Anangu traditional owners and Mututjulu community rangers at the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park and Cultural Centre. While visiting this sacred place, I heard about how Uluru and Kata Tjuta are inseparable from Tjukurpa which underpins Anangu culture and serves as a moral compass and guide relationships with peoples plants, animals and the physical features of the land.
The effort in our two countries to include Indigenous communities in our stewardship of lands and waters is crucial to ensuring a liveable planet for generations to come. I hope it continues to serve as a model for other countries as they meaningfully engage with Indigenous peoples.
In both Perth and Uluru I met with members of the Aboriginal community to discuss the traumatic history of institutional abuse against Indigenous Australians, including those representing the Stolen Generations. The United States and Australia share this tragic history. Early on in my tenure as Secretary, I launched the Federal Indian Boarding School initiative, an effort for the federal government to recognise for the first time the troubled legacy a federal Indian boarding school policy with a goal of addressing their intergenerational traumas of the past. As part of that the department is on what we call the road to healing. A year-long effort to travel across the country to allow Indigenous survivors of the federal Indian boarding school system the opportunity to share their stories, help connect communities with trauma informed support and facilitate a collection of some of their oral histories. These are difficult conversations to have, but they are necessary. And I'm heartened to see how the Australian Government much like the United States government is working to reconcile this traumatic past with open hearts and meaningful support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. I feel an immense privilege that I now get to carry this trip with me and have it inform my work back home at the Department of the Interior.
The interconnectedness of the department's priorities and initiatives including investments in collaborative conservation, infrastructure in Indigenous communities are inseparable from those of our international counterparts. As a Pacific nation, our collaboration with Australia comes at a critical time. As we move forward the department remains committed to bilateral cooperation with Australia because we know we are not alone in facing and mitigating the worsening impacts of the climate crisis on our communities and ecosystems. I am so appreciative for everyone who has helped to make this trip come together, as well as for the decades-long collaboration between our two countries. Working together and alongside a variety of other stakeholders I know we will make significant progress in helping protect our lands and waters for generations to come. Thank you all so much for being here. And with that, I'm happy to pass the microphone back to you.
Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians: Thank you, Madam Secretary. As you can see, there are there are great similarities between our stories. And it was just such an honour to meet you and to meet our colleagues as well. I'll go to Dana from the ABC.
Dana Morse: The federal government here has expressed concern about how our country will be viewed internationally if the country fails to progress Indigenous recognition through a Voice and through treaty. Can you shed any light on how the US would view Australia should the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament fail?
Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior: Thank you for the question. Of course I run the Department of the Interior we're there to conserve and protect our nation's public lands and waters as well as uphold the trust and treaty obligations of our nation's Indian tribes. I don't weigh into foreign policy in that matter. But what I can say is that with respect to the United States having this position of first Native American to serve at a cabinet level position ever in the history of our country, it was very important to me to make sure that we were doing everything we could to uphold the trust and treaty obligations of the United States. President Biden is working so hard to make sure that his government, his administration looks like America and he wants Native people to have a seat at the table. And so I think that for our part, we will continue just to work hard and do what we can to make sure that we're upholding those responsibilities.
Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians: Thank you, Lisa Visentin.
Lisa Visentin: Minister Burney just on the scope of the Voice to Parliament, I know you're waiting on the recommendations from the Working Group on the final version, their version of the amendment, but is it your personal view that the Voice should have the ability to advise both the parliament and the executive? And just on that, would it be worth removing the executive component if that meant it could lock in more support from the conservatives?
Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians: I'm taking my direction from the Working Group and the Working Group will come to its final position around these issues at our next meeting. The importance of the Working Group and the Engagement Group ensures that First Nations people are at the decision making table, when we make decisions around questions and amendments and so forth. It is a process and I will not get ahead of the working group and I am very sure that the momentum that's gathering behind the Voice and the decency of the Australian public will see a successful referendum. Anna
Anna Henderson: Thank you, Secretary in terms of the process that you've gone through in the United States around truth telling and treaty you have encountered division in the community as a result at times. What are your reflections on the best way to deal with those divisions and come to a positive outcome at the end of that process and Minister Burney, as well I have a question for you. Yesterday, we're told the opposition leader told the Working Group that this referendum looks on a path to failure at this point. What was your response to that news being delivered to the group
Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior: With respect to the boarding school initiative and the road to healing work that we're doing currently, we don't do anything without consulting with Tribes first. So the boarding school initiative, the report that we were able to issue was one that Tribes had wanted for a long time. We consulted with them on how to go about this. And quite frankly if whatever issue affects Tribes, it's our job to make sure that Tribal consultation comes first so that we know exactly what they would like for us to do. President Biden has made Tribal consultation a priority of his administration. And so it's not just the Department of the Interior. It's every department it's an all of government approach to every issue - health care, infrastructure, agriculture, all of these things. It's the Tribes have a voice, we go to them and ask what they would like and then we move forward. So with respect to the boarding school initiative and the road to healing, we have consulted very mightily with the Tribes whose lives these are affecting and when we go out for a road to healing is that people who want to be heard that will come. We also leave open opportunities for folks who don't want to say something in person. They can send us emails, they can call us on the phone, they can still have a voice if they would like to do that in private. So we try to accommodate all those voices and make sure that that they're being heard.
Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians: Thank you. I'm not going to comment publicly on discussions within the Working Group. But I will say that we are on track to introduce the Constitution Alteration Bill in parliament in March. And then there'll be a Senate inquiry committee process around which the bill will be examined, which is very normal, as you know. People will be able to make submissions. And I say to Mr Dutton, please stay engaged with the Working Group. That is certainly the desire of the Working Group. Unfortunately, I was asked to leave the room by Mr Dutton. So I wasn't actually there to hear what he had to say. I just believe that it's important that all parliamentarians engage with this process, come to understand it, and also recognise it's about two things. It's about improving the life outcomes for First Nations people. And it's about recognising 65,000 years, something that we as Australians should be all proud of, in our founding document.
Ben Westacott: Thank you so much for your visit. A little off topic. I just wanted to ask you if you were satisfied with cooperation with Australia on critical minerals, and if you had any thoughts on copper INAUDIBLE
Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior: So I am very honoured to lead a department with the US Geological Survey who are a group of the most amazing scientists that I've ever seen. I'm not a scientist. I'm really happy that they're there. It is, I mean, it's not really up to me, right? It's up to the scientists who view these things. We know that if we want to reach our clean energy goals that critical minerals are critical to that endeavor. And so I think that will absolutely keep our conversations open on everything. We're so proud that Australia is a very strong ally. We share a lot of things, and we do a lot of things together. And so I look forward to keeping those conversations open.
Sarah Ison: Thank you so much. Minister, if I could ask, obviously for the legislation to pass the Parliament next month, you need the Greens plus two. David Pocock seems pretty keen. Jacqui Lambie is due to go onto the ground in some communities in the next week. How much are you speaking with Jacqui about her position? And if I may, Madam Secretary just to expand a little bit on Dana's question broadly across the West. Do you think that this is a moment of, I suppose reckoning we're seeing in Australia what we're doing here, we're seeing what you're doing in the US in terms of where we're at, as a western world. Do you think we're coming to a real moment of reconciliation?
Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior: I'm sorry, rephrase your question.
Sarah Ison: Do you think across the entire west, obviously, in Australia, we've got the Voice. The US is doing what they're doing when it comes to treaties. Do you see this as sort of a moment for reconciliation across the whole western world that we find ourselves in now in 2023?
Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior: Right. Well, of course, a lot depends on who's in charge right. We have a president right now President Joe Biden, who, as I mentioned, wants our, his administration to look like America. It matters who's in office, and I'm grateful that he chose me to lead the Department of the Interior that manage the trust and treaty obligations of our nation's 574 federally recognized Tribes. What we want to do, for example, once we finished this boarding school initiative, the reports that we want to do the oral history that we're working on, no one can undo that right. It's there. It's going to be there for all of history, for all of humankind to read and ponder. No one, the work that we're doing right now, no one can really take away. It's just going to keep progressing and progressing. I think that this era that we're in with climate change, and recognising many, many countries recognising the value of Indigenous knowledge to that, respecting our planet for future generations, is undeniable. So I feel very confident that Indigenous voices everywhere will continue to speak. I know that recently for example, I was able to hear President Lula from Brazil speak recently. His words were we want to protect the Amazon for all of humanity. People recognise that our natural habitats and our land and waters are important if we want to all survive and keep our planet intact. So I think that that Indigenous voices will grow louder. Indigenous people have been have been speaking for a long time. Some people haven't stopped to listen to them. So I don't think the Indigenous people have changed, they are still speaking out. It's the people who were in leadership positions that are finally opening their ears to hear what they have to say. And what they have to say is incredibly important.
Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians: The response, Sarah from me, is that, my hope, is that all parliamentarians will see how generous this invitation is. And at the end of the day, it is the Australian people that will make the decision in relation to a successful or not successful referendum. I have faith in the Australian people. I truly do. And I'm having conversations right across this country. Next week, this very weekend we start the Week of Action. I'll be attending a forum in the seat of Sydney. I'll be attending a barbecue in my own neighbourhood with the Prime Minister. I'll be traveling out to Orange to be with Andrew Gee. I'll be traveling down to Melbourne to do some forums down there. I'm also traveling to Flinders Island with Bridget Archer. Someone said I've got a pluck a mutton bird, but that’s not going to happen. We might have to eat some mutton bird, but that's okay. So, there is much work being put into this and my hope is that once this bill is introduced into the parliament, that people will grasp the significance of this, not just for Aboriginal people, but for all Australians. We're about the future. Not the past. Katina Curtis from the West Australian.
Katina Curtis: Thanks Minister and thanks, Secretary. I wanted to ask, we've heard we've obviously been talking about the national Voice. A huge part of the co-design final recommendations were, was about the local and regional voices. Is the government committed to the work that's needed to be done across all fields of government to set those up. And Secretary to you on the same theme, what are your reflections of the importance of having structures both at a national level and a smaller regional level to have input into a policy process
Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians: Most states and territories have begun in fact, Queensland just yesterday announcing a treaty process. So states and territories right across Australia are embarking on treaty and truth telling processes and in some states there is actually going to be the creation of a state voice. Those things are very important. And we will work alongside state and territory initiatives and complement them both ways. I think the issue of truth telling is just so very important for many of the reasons that Madam Secretary has already mentioned, but the idea that we as a country will all understand our truth, will make us a more united Australia. In relation to the various states and territories, we will obviously work with those states and territories in the best way to pursue a network of voices across this country. But please rest assured we are taking direction from the Working Group and the Engagement Group. This is not about politicians deciding what's best for people. This is about people telling politicians, what's best for them.
Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior: Yes, thank you for that. So in the United States we have 50 states 50 governors 50 legislatures, right it's yes, it is. It is a lot you would you would have your hands full traveling around the United States. I think that I mean, look, the President is setting the tone in Washington DC. And we are hoping that we, that what we're doing resonates with the states across the country. I'm from New Mexico in the southwest. We have a governor currently, who when she went to announced that she was running for governor she did it at the El Pueblo Council of Governors, one of the oldest Native American organisations in the southwest or in the country actually, but certainly in the southwest. Tribes are important to her. I think that a lot of Tribal folk, Native people are running for office around the country. They've broken records in that respect and I just think that it's, as I mentioned, it's a matter of listening, right? It's people wanting to engage and listen and make the best decisions for their communities. In New Mexico, in my home state of New Mexico, Tribal voices are incredibly important. We, many years ago, they passed a State Tribal collaboration Act, for example, where the state government has to do certain things with respect to Tribes. And so I am proud to do the work that we're doing, it will continue as long as President Biden is in office and I think that the work that we are doing is resonating across the country.
Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians: Thank you. Final question is from Daniel Hurst from the Guardian.
Daniel Hurst: Thanks for taking the questions. Secretary given your responsibilities for the contacts with several Pacific countries and also you mentioned the climate crisis. Australia is beating or putting itself forward to host the 2026 UN climate conference. And part of that is in partnership with the Pacific to elevate the voices of the Pacific. Did you discuss this at all in the trip to Australia? Does the US support Australia hosting such a conference? And as elevating the voice of the Pacific include listening to their call to end new gas and cold developments?
Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior: As I mentioned in my remarks, Australia is a pacific nation, we recognise that and yes, we care deeply about our insular areas. I waited to talk about whether Australia would host but of course, we have participated in the last several, in the COP since I have been in this office. So my guess is that we will participate again.
Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians: Thank you everyone.