Voice to Parliament
Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (13:48): For us mob, Sorry Day is a chance to remember the strength of our stolen generations survivors and mourn those who never made it home to country. It is a chance to celebrate our continued connection to our lands, waters, communities and culture despite the historic and ongoing injustices First Nations people face. But this year Sorry Day is also a chance to reflect on the incredible opportunity that we have before us with the Voice to Parliament referendum. Last Friday, on Sorry Day, that is what I did with my federal colleague Minister Andrew Giles, the member for Scullin; the member for Mill Park Lily D’Ambrosio and the member for Yan Yean Lauren Kathage in the other place; alongside members of our shared communities. The upcoming Voice referendum is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to come together in the spirit of healing and reconciliation and to protect our connection to country and culture for the benefit of our children and grandchildren, but it is also a chance for every single one of us to step forward on the path to a better, fairer future for us all. ‘Sorry’ means that you do not do it again. The Voice is an offering from our elders to make sure that it cannot happen again.