Television Interview - NITV Garma Festival Special

JOHN PAUL JANKE, HOST: Prime Minister, thanks for speaking with us today. In the lead-up to the election and the election campaign, when you spoke about the Uluru Statement, and even now when you talk about it, you get quite emotional about it. What does this Statement mean to you personally?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, it means a lot to our nation. It's about recognition. It's about respect. And we should be honoured to share this island continent with the oldest continuous civilisation on the planet. I grew up in inner Sydney. So, I knew a lot of Indigenous people from around Redfern where I grew up, and through South Sydney Football Club and all of that. But it's been a great privilege of my political life to visit remote communities, to engage with First Nations people around the country. And I see this as an incredible opportunity to enrich the nation and to show that we're a mature nation.

JANKE: Now, constitutional reform or change has been something that Indigenous people have been calling for generations. Will you be the Prime Minister that finally delivers constitutional change for Indigenous Australians? And do you see that as your legacy for your term, or terms, as Prime Minister?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I see it as critical for the nation. This isn't about any individual, be it the Prime Minister, or the local member of the Gumatj clan, where we're gathered here at the moment. This is something that can be owned by all Australians. And that's the beauty of having a referendum and our structure. Our constitutional reform structure is very difficult. The founders of the Constitution made it difficult. You need a majority of people in the majority of states. But the positive thing is that therefore by people voting, they will have that sense of ownership of it. And I'm very optimistic because it comes from my optimistic sense of the Australian culture, that Australians believe in fairness, they believe in respect and decency. This is a common sense change. It simply says that where issues affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, we should consult them. That's just good manners. Nothing more, but absolutely nothing less. And we know that this is something that has been desired for a long period of time. And I really hope that we can get this done. And I'm optimistic that we can.

JANKE: Critics of the Statement or the Voice to Parliament say that it will detract from the normal business of government in being able to help close the gap and what they call practical solutions. What's your response to maybe being able to do two things at once?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, my responses is this. For 121 years, we've had a system in which the government in Canberra could determine what was best for First Nations people. And we know that in areas like life expectancy, there's a 20-year gap on areas of child disease, on areas of education, of health of housing, of all of these areas that we need to do better in. And we know also that where First Nations people are consulted, where that respect is given, in areas like Indigenous rangers, in areas such as homelands, we get better outcomes when people have that sense of ownership, where people are consulted. And that is, to me, why this isn't a matter of practical issues or constitutional reform. It's constitutional reform so that we can get better practical outcomes. You can't move forward unless you have that respect granted.

JANKE: You're on NITV, the national Indigenous broadcaster. What's your message to Indigenous Australians about the Uluru Statement?

PRIME MINISTER: My first message is - thank you. It's an incredibly generous, gracious offer. It's a hand out. And in this country, when someone extends their hand in a gesture of friendship, and welcome, and partnership, what we do in this country is with join hands. And it is an offer which is very generous. It's one that I want to see Australians take up. And I look forward to that day when we achieve a positive outcome.

JANKE: Is that your message then to non-Indigenous Australians? To join hands in the way forward?

PRIME MINISTER: It absolutely is my message. My message is this is a generous offer. It's one that is gracious in its generosity, given what has occurred over more than 200 years, it is more than what could be reasonably expected. But people are saying, 'We want to join with you'. And it is also what it isn't is important. It's not a third chamber of Parliament. It makes it very clear that this isn't a determining body. It's simply one where you will have that input, that Voice to Parliament, saying, 'This is what we think the issues are, this is how these issues will impact on us, this is the way that we can see a better way forward'. And that's just common sense to try to do that. And that's why I believe there's momentum out there to get this change done. I was elected on a platform where I made it very clear that I supported the statement and that I supported action on it. And I intend to pursue that in this term. I'm hoping to get as broad as support as possible across politics, across business, across unions and the labour movement, across civil society, across sporting organisations. We've seen so much advance in my lifetime. And that makes an enormous difference to people. And we've all been enriched by it. And that's why I'm positive that Australia can take up this opportunity, not just in the interest of Indigenous Australians, but in the interests of our entire nation.

JANKE: One quick final question. You were presented with a yidaki yesterday. In a year's time, when you come back to Garma, will you be playing that yidaki in a performance?

PRIME MINISTER: I'm not sure anyone wants to see that because it's very important that people not leave the festival. I respect so much First Nations' culture. It's just one of the things. I thought yesterday with Galarrwuy's incredible statement, and the generosity of the gift, and we had some ceremony in private beforehand, was a really moving moment for me personally. And as Prime Minister of this country, it was a very moving moment as well. It's one that I'll cherish. And the Yidaki will take pride of place at the Lodge in Canberra, at my home, which represents the home for all Australians. It's something that I have, for a short period of time, custody of. And what that represents to me is the ownership of this land that goes back, of course, at least 60,000 years, for hundreds of generations. We have such a privilege of living on this island continent, sharing it with the oldest continuous civilisation on earth. It should be a source of great pride. And that's why the Voice to Parliament is about our Constitution. But it's also about what we project to the world. Our confidence as a nation. Our pride. And it will increase our standing in the world as well.

JANKE: Prime Minister, thanks for joining us today.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much.

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