The Albanese Government is taking the next steps on the path to constitutional recognition through a Voice by introducing the Constitution Alteration Bill into the Parliament.

Cabinet has listened to the Referendum Working Group. The question the Parliament will now consider to be put to the Australian people at the 2023 referendum will be:

“A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

The Albanese Government is taking the next steps on the path to constitutional recognition through a Voice by introducing the Constitution Alteration Bill into the Parliament.

Cabinet has listened to the Referendum Working Group. The question the Parliament will now consider to be put to the Australian people at the 2023 referendum will be:

“A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

TOM CONNELL, HOST: We've got the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, first of all, Patrick Gorman, and of course, former Liberal MP Jason Falinski, to talk through this and the wash up from the New South Wales election. Patrick, we better start with you. It sounds like a big concession. So a cap on gross emissions, the Greens are basically saying, well, coal and gas projects are going to struggle to get up from here on in. Is that right?

HOST, LISA MILLAR: Well, Australians now know what question they'll be asked later this year at the referendum to enshrine an Indigenous Voice into the Constitution. The Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney joins us now from Parliament. House. Minister Great to have you on News breakfast.

MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS, LINDA BURNEY: Thank you.

HOST, LISA MILLAR: It was clearly a very emotional day yesterday for you and others. What now, though, is going to get this cross the line for you?

The Albanese Government has delivered on its election commitment to boost gender equality and diversity in politics by announcing $5 million over 5 years to support the work of Women for Election Australia.

More than 4,000 women nationwide will directly benefit from this program. 

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: It is quarter time of the sitting fortnight. It's 100 days to cheaper childcare. And because of the vote in the Senate last night, we now know we will have a referendum for a constitutionally enshrined voice to Parliament later this year.

Introduction

I am so happy to be speaking with you.

Parliament is about debate. Difference of opinion. Sometimes, conflict.

But today, I feel I am amongst like-minded Australians.

You and I are unusually interested in our Constitution.

The institutions that make our nation.

And the knowledge to help guide our future.

I was 19 before I got to visit this building.

Not many high school students from Western Australia make it here.

So, it is fair to say I am jealous of each of you.

And I encourage you to grab this opportunity.

Indigenous Australian university students will be given an opportunity to reach for the stars, with a new internship program supported by the Australian Space Agency (ASA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Launched in Adelaide today as part of the NASA Administrator’s visit to Australia, the National Indigenous Space Academy (NISA) will see up to five students studying in STEM fields travel to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL) in California for a 10 week full time summer internship program.

PATRICIA KARVELAS, HOST: The Government now has a sitting fortnight to get key legislation through the Parliament. But Labor faces an uphill battle on the Safeguard Mechanism which is about reducing emissions, and the Referendum Machineries Act, as the Coalition and the Greens withhold their support unless Labor makes some big concessions. Katy Gallagher is the Minister for Finance and Women and joins me ahead of this sitting fortnight. Welcome to Breakfast.

SENATOR THE HON KATY GALLAGHER, MINISTER FOR FINANCE: Thanks for having me on, PK.

The Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Attorney General, the Special Envoy for Reconciliation and the Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart met with the Referendum Engagement Group.

The fourth meeting of the Referendum Engagement Group was held in Adelaide, on the lands of the Kaurna people.

The Referendum Engagement Group acknowledged the progress towards a referendum to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Constitution, to give First Nations people a say on the matters that affect them.