The Australian Government has announced the appointment of Dr Vivienne Thom AM as the Independent Expert Chair of the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce.

Dr Thom will lead the taskforce overseeing the implementation of the recommendations of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Ms Kate Jenkins, in the Set the Standard report. Ms Jenkins’ report highlighted an unacceptably high rate of bullying and sexual harassment in parliamentary workplaces.

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.

The Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Attorney‑General, the Special Envoy for Reconciliation and the Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians met with the Referendum Working Group at Parliament House in Canberra.

Update from Government

The Working Group received an update on recent developments, including on the progress of the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Amendment Bill 2022.

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: What we have seen this week is a Coalition who only rocked up to vote no. They rocked up to vote no to more affordable housing. They rocked up to vote no on climate action. They rocked up to vote no on manufacturing in the future manufacturing in this country. And while it does feel like we are back to the old days of the No-alition, what we saw from the Greens was something even more interesting, which is that they didn't rock up to vote at all.

Thank you Paul House and Matilda House for that beautiful Welcome to Country.

I acknowledge Traditional Owners and Custodians of all of the country and waters across our great land –

And particularly acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples.

I pay my respect to their Elders past and present –

To all the Stolen Generation survivors and their descendants – welcome.

I acknowledge the survivors that we have lost in the last year.

Giants like Uncle Archie Roach and Uncle Jack Charles -

TOM CONNELL, HOST: Welcome back. Let's go to the panel everybody waits to see each fortnight. The Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, which I guess is like another Deputy Prime Minister, that's what I heard he calls himself, anyway. That's Patrick Gorman, and Jason Falinski, who might be the Prime Minister we never had. Gentlemen, thanks both for your time.

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Good to be with you, Prime Minister Tom Connell.

In a historic moment under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, today the Australian Government will release its second Closing the Gap Implementation Plan, alongside the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (Coalition of Peaks) annual Implementation Plan.

The Implementation Plan is about practical action. The gap is not closing fast enough and on some measures it is going backwards.

In a historic moment under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, today the Australian Government will release its second Closing the Gap Implementation Plan, alongside the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (Coalition of Peaks) annual Implementation Plan.

The Implementation Plan is about practical action. The gap is not closing fast enough and on some measures it is going backwards.

“One sweet day all the children came back.

Back where the hearts grow strong.

Back where they all belong.

The children came back.

Back where they understand

Back to their mother’s land

The children came back.”

The late great Archie Roach first performed “Took the Children Away” more than 33 years ago.

Archie spoke of a truth that for many years was denied.

Denied by governments.

And denied by parliaments.

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Peter Dutton is turning himself into the Demolition Man of Australian politics. Demolition Dutton has said that he wants to destroy the National Reconstruction Fund. Not content with destroying the car industry when they are in government, he now wants to destroy Australia's manufacturing future, destroy the capability of Australians to get those good, secure jobs that come from manufacturing, destroy our sovereign manufacturing capability.