I want to begin today by acknowledging Bagala clan of the Jawoyn People –
The traditional custodians of the land on which we gather today, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
And I acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people gathered here from all points of the southern sky.
It is an honour to speak at a place of such historic significance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people –
To do so at a defining moment in our country’s history makes today even more special.
The place is here at Barunga.
The moment is 2023, the year that Australians can grasp the opportunity to recognise Indigenous Australians in our constitution.
The Barunga Festival holds great significance for so many.
The home of the Barunga Statement - that is now displayed on the walls of Parliament House.
I can only imagine what it must have been like to be here in 1988.
To be here for the Barunga Statement.
To be here to witness Prime Minister Bob Hawke say the words:
“That there shall be a treaty negotiated between the Aboriginal people and the Government on behalf of all the people of Australia.”
In one day 35 years ago, so much of Australia’s history –
The brutal legacy of the frontier wars -
The dispossession -
The trauma of the stolen generations -
The fresh hopes of a generation of Indigenous leaders from Lingiari to Yunupingu –
And a Prime Minister Bob Hawke who wanted to see brighter future for all of us –
All that history met here in the dust at Barunga in ’88.
We recall that in the decades since there has been both progress and heartbreaking setbacks.
Two steps forward, and one step back.
Progress on native title.
Progress through the Apology to the Stolen Generations.
And setbacks with closing the gap – the gap hasn’t closed fast enough.
And of course, Hawke was not in office long enough to keep his promise to Yunupingu.
And I have a short message from Bob’s wife Blanche - that I’d like to share with you today:
“There are many joys but also many tears in politics.
Bob once said to me, 'Yunupingu is a soul in torment. He grieves for his people. Bob grieved too.
His greatest disappointment as Prime Minister was that he could not deliver his promise to Yunupingu with the indigenous people of Australia - for recognition.
He loved Yunupingu and grieved that he'd let him down.
Now all these decades later The Voice gives a chance for joy and celebration for the spirits of these two great men.
Bob would want Australians to grab it with both hands.”
Today, we meet here again, just months from the Voice referendum to recognise our peoples.
Let’s grab the opportunity with both hands by voting “Yes”.
Let’s honour the giants – Yunipingu and Hawke – by voting “Yes” for a Voice.
Let’s take the next step forward as a nation, together.
A new promise: The Barunga Declaration:
Yesterday, the four land councils in the Northern Territory came together to renew the promise of this place with a new declaration for 2023.
The 2023 Barunga Declaration, states:
We, members of the four Northern Territory Aboriginal land councils, acknowledging our elders and old people, have gathered again at Barunga.
The site of the historic Barunga Statement in 1988 and the Barunga Agreement in 2018, with pride in our own laws, cultures and ceremonies, looking to the future.
We, who have been dispossessed and subjected to punitive controls by governments, who have never ceded sovereignty over our lands and waters, resolve with one heart our determined support for the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.
We must right the wrongs of the past and deal with the serious issues impacting First Nations peoples, empower First Nations peoples and unite our country.
We call for the recognition of First Nations peoples in our still young constitution by enshrining our voice to the parliament and executive government, never to be rendered silent with the stroke of a pen again.
We need to be heard and urge our fellow Australians to stand with us and vote 'yes' in the forthcoming referendum, for the sake of a better future for all of us.
A better future for all of us.
You can feel the spirit of Barunga.
You can feel it here on this dance ground.
Where the Barunga dust is kicked up –
The power it has to bring people together.
To celebrate cultures and traditions.
And to promote reconciliation.
A voice that make a practical difference:
As Sam Bush-Blanasi said:
“Aboriginal people are used to speaking and still being ignored.
That's why we need a voice to Parliament.
Not to force people to do what we say. Nobody can do that. But just to hear what we have to say.
Just to listen.”
The Voice is about listening.
The Voice to Parliament will be an independent advisory body made up of people from communities.
It will provide advice to the parliament and the government on issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
And it will be permanent.
No more of governments abolishing our voice with a stroke of a pen.
Because for too long governments have made policies for Indigenous Australians, not with Indigenous Australians.
For too long, governments have had a “Canberra knows best attitude”.
The Voice will change that.
Because the Voice will be your voice to power on issues like health, housing and water.
And importantly, the Voice will empower communities.
I know that the legacy of the intervention still looms large here.
That Aboriginal people here in the Territory felt disempowered.
And I want you to know that the Voice will be empowering.
The Voice will allow locals to develop a ground up approach.
For instance, the Voice could give practical advice on reforming CDP –
Giving advice on how the CDP work properly.
Or improving housing in the NT homelands – an issue that I know is important to many people here.
Because the Voice is about making a practical difference on the ground in communities.
It’s what my friend, Julian Leeser said:
“[The Voice] can help us to understand better what's going on –
On the ground and ensure that better policy is made that's more responsive to community.”
A practical difference that’s about delivering better policies and better outcomes for our peoples.
Why the yes will prevail
Now, there are some politicians in Canberra that like to ridicule recognition as “identity politics” -
I say to them that recognition through a Voice is about identity, it’s about our national identity.
It's about who we are, as Australians.
Are we a people who have it in our heart to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our founding document?
Are we big enough and generous enough to commit ourselves to recognition and listening through a Voice?
Are we big enough, and generous enough to tell the truth?
I believe that the answer is “Yes”.
Because I have great faith in the goodness of the Australian people.
And I have great faith in you –
I have faith in each and every one of you here today -
To do your bit, to play your role in this historic moment.
Because 35 years on from the Barunga Statement, our task is not finished.
But we’re getting closer.
We’re getting closer to fulfilling the dreams of those that came before us like Lingiari, Yunupingu.
We’re getting closer to fulfilling the promise of Barunga –
We’re getting closer to fulfilling the promise of the Uluru Statement from the Heart -
And we’re getting closer to voting “Yes” for recognition through a Voice.