Closing the Gap: Labor’s commitment to Makarrata and fulfilling the promise of Uluru

Excerpt from Linda Burney’s speech to the House of Representatives - Monday, 9 August 2021

Labor’s commitment to Makarrata and fulfilling the promise of Uluru

Listening to and empowering First Nations people is at the very heart of Labor's approach to closing the gap. We remain committed to a constitutionally enshrined voice and we will put a referendum to the nation within the first term of an Albanese Labor government, but we will also make makarrata—treaty and truth telling—a priority. I say to all Australians: truth telling is not about shame or guilt. It is about moving forward. But we can't move forward by pretending that one part of the country has not been subjected to structural, industrial-scale disadvantage for centuries. If we want to understand the challenges, the disadvantage and the inequities of the present, it is crucial that we understand the roots of past trauma.

The trauma of the past does not simply stay in the past. It has transcended generations, and we all see that. This is one of the fundamental and very practical functions of truth telling. A makarrata commission will be independent and have responsibility for truth telling and treaty making. It will work with the voice to parliament when it is established. It would oversee the establishment of an effective model of local truth-telling, including the support of local communities. It would inquire into matters of overarching national significance, including the causes of inequity from colonisation to the present day. It would recall and tell positive stories of survival and culture, as well as making an official record of colonisation, massacres, discrimination and resistance.

With respect to treaty, it would recommend a framework for federal treaty making, taking into account the good work that has already been undertaken on this by the states and territories. It will consult with First Nations communities and will report within the first term of a Labor government. There can be no real progress on closing the gap and there can be no reconciliation without treaty and truth-telling. Labor's commitment to making Makarrata a priority will realise these crucial elements of the Uluru statement.