An Indigenous voice to parliament and other aspects of the Uluru Statement from the Heart will not lead to reparations for First Nations people, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Speaking from Thursday Island, Mr Albanese was asked if the process would result in payments being made.
"No, it won't, it's not about that at all," he said on Thursday.
"There's nothing in the proposed wording of proposed constitutional change that would alter that at all."
The prime minister said the "misinformation" being peddled was by people who couldn't find "good reasons that stack up" to oppose the voice.
"The advice is it would have no impact whatsoever," Mr Albanese said.
Earlier, former prime minister John Howard said the voice might be "coercive", and criticised Mr Albanese for his "contradictory" comments over what form it might take.
In response, Mr Albanese said the voice would be an advisory body, and rejected it would become a "third chamber" of parliament, or that there was a lack of detail available.
The Uluru Statement calls for an enshrined voice, and the Makarrata Commission to "supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history".
In a meeting with the Torres Strait Regional Authority, Mr Albanese also reaffirmed his support for his government choosing to display all three national flags during press conferences.
"We didn't make a fuss, we didn't put out a media release ... we just did it," he said.
"We have flags that represent our entire nation. It's an opportunity to speak about our full history."
Mr Albanese vowed his trip would not be his last to the region as prime minister, and told community leaders he wanted to leave "permanent footprints" and see real change.
"That is why it is so important that Australians are given the opportunity to join that hand outstretched which is there in friendship," he said.
"I see this as something that won't just benefit Indigenous Australians, it will benefit all Australians."
Mr Albanese has travelled to the Torres Strait along with Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Queensland senator Nita Green, for discussions on what an Indigenous voice might look like.
"The voice ... is a very modest request in my view, but it's a request that should be met with absolute acceptance," he said.
Mr Albanese's speech made at the Garma festival last month laid out a proposed referendum question to enshrine an Indigenous voice to parliament in the Constitution.
The question proposed would be: "Do you support an alteration to the Constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice?".
Mr Albanese is set to meet with female community leaders in the Torres Strait on Friday morning.
Ms Burney met with state and territory Indigenous ministers on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the voice to parliament and the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
State and territory ministers all agreed to back the federal government's work towards enshrining the voice in the constitution.
Ministers are set to meet again at the end of the month at the joint council for closing the gap, where progress on the national agreement will be on the agenda.
Australian Associated Press
