Speech: SA First Nations Voice Repeal Bill - YouTube
The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: I will keep this short and sweet. Here we are yet again seeing on our Notice Paper a bill to repeal the First Nations Voice—something that this parliament, both houses, has already passed, is in the process of enacting, and is getting on with the job of doing.
I am a proud member of a party that voted for that, keeping our election promise. The Malinauskas Labor government also promised to have a First Nations Voice in South Australia. If we keep our promises from the Greens and the Labor Party keeps their promise, that means that the 11 votes required to ensure the First Nations Voice, in terms of a vote of this chamber, are secured. I give my assurance on behalf of the Greens, and I am sure that the Labor Party will do the same when we finally see this particular bill eventually taken to a vote, that those 11 Green and Labor votes will stand firm and that we will see a First Nations Voice. The 11 votes are simple numbers.
I also note that it is 851 days to the next state election. I suggest that those who have a policy about repealing a state First Nations Voice take that to the election, because the Liberal Party certainly did not take to the last election that they opposed a First Nations Voice. In fact, it was not even that they were silent on a First Nations Voice. They had a policy and a previous piece of legislation that they had consulted on and intended to implement, had they been the Marshall Liberal government again.
The Liberal government had tried to legislate a First Nations Voice and indeed, after the election in 2002, one of their first pieces of legislation in the other place was to continue that bid for a First Nations Voice. If they change their election policy between now and the next state election in 851 days, I imagine that the votes might reflect those moderate liberals who might be a little disillusioned that the last time they voted for the Liberals they thought they were getting something different.
Another set of numbers is that it is now 122 days before we will see the election for a First Nations Voice of South Australian Aboriginal people. That is not very long—March next year. We have one more sitting week. I suspect the member who has put this piece of legislation to repeal the good work of this parliament will not have the courage to take this particular issue to a vote, but I assure the South Australian people that those 11 votes will stand firm in this chamber.
In 122 days we will see the first election for a First Nations Voice, and in 851 days I suspect the Liberals will regret their flip-flopping on this issue and their lack of commitment to those voters who put their faith in them at the last election to keep their promises, and this will be yet another step into oblivion for the current Liberal opposition.