GARY ADSHEAD, HOST: Taylor Swift of course folks, you know who that is, and there's a lot of people not happy that she's not coming to Perth. I mean, I think she's very talented but I'm not in a foetal position over it, I'll tell you right now, but of course, she's probably in the top 10 of world acts at the moment. So we don't want to miss out. We might, though. Patrick Gorman is the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister. He's also the Federal Member for Perth, and he joins me on the line. Patrick, are you really worried about this?

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER AND ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE: What we've seen over the winter sittings is that this Parliament has achieved a lot. We have seen the Budget handed down. We have seen $2 billion for social housing. We have seen our plan for cheaper medicines bought into the Parliament. We have seen record investment in Medicare bulk billing. A 15 per cent pay increase for aged care workers. We have seen huge investments in TAFE and fee-free TAFE.

Constable Anthony Woods's role was to turn danger into safety, something police do every day, in every state and territory. 

The Albanese Government is providing $6.2 million to The Embrace Collective for their Embrace Kids program to help kids tackle body image issues to live happier, healthier lives now and in the future.

Body image is a serious issue for Australians, especially for our kids, and the problem is getting worse.

The number of young Australians (16-25 years) reporting Body Image Distress has risen by 33 per cent since 2009, with 77 per cent self-reporting body image distress in 2015.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Today, our Parliament has said 'Yes' to holding a referendum. Now, the Australian people will have a chance to say 'Yes' to reconciliation and 'Yes' to constitutional recognition of First Nations people. The Uluru Statement from the Heart begins: "We, gathered at the 2017 National Constitutional Convention coming from all points of the southern sky, make this statement from the heart."

KENNY HEATLEY, HOST: The legislation to see the Voice for Parliament referendum held later this year has just passed the Senate. Joining me live are Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman and former Liberal MP Jason Falinski. Thanks so much for joining us. First of all, it was an overwhelming majority, 52 to 19, to pass the Constitution Alteration Bill, meaning there will be a referendum later this year. It was a packed gallery in the Senate. There was a standing ovation from the Labor side at the end. Just some reaction, first of all.

Introduction

It is an honour to address the first Australian Council of Local Government in a decade. 

Ten years ago this body last met. 

But I want to start my remarks back thirty years ago. 

This week back in 1993, my favourite film about mosquitoes and power outages was released.

Jurassic Park was a film with everything. 

Almost.

Isla Nublar did not have a local government. 

And I think that this is where things went wrong. 

The roads were of poor quality. 

The Albanese Government is delivering on community-led justice reinvestment with early funding for two priority sites - Alice Springs (NT) and Halls Creek (WA).

The October 2022-23 Budget, included $69 million for a National Justice Reinvestment Program, to support 30 community led place-based justice reinvestment initiatives across Australia. This was the largest commitment to justice reinvestment ever delivered by the Commonwealth.

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER:  This has been, no doubt, a challenging week. But what the Albanese Government has continued to do is focus on governing. I still believe that this building can achieve big things, and deliver policy that really does improve and change the lives of Australians. That's what we are sent here to do. Every single week. When our communities vote for us, they send us to come here to debate the important issues, and to deliver legislation that lifts up the lives of people and makes those dramatic improvements.

New data released by the Productivity Commission shows there is still a long way to go to Close the Gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia.

The results include updates on four of the fifteen Closing the Gap targets, showing two targets as 'on track' and two 'not on track'.

Encouragingly, there has been some progress made in the number of First Nations children enrolled in preschool and fewer First Nations youth in detention.

However, overall it remains just four of the nineteen Closing the Gap targets are "on track".