Dr WOODRUFF question to PREMIER, Mr ROCKLIFF
Your government’s failure to progress truth-telling and treaty, despite the promises of Peter Gutwein, has meant we have a delegation of Aboriginal community camped on our doorstep, desperate for action. It has been three years and there has been no progress. Words are hollow without action. The Tasmanian Aboriginal community sent the minister, Mr Jaensch, a draft treaty bill they prepared 18 months ago, and still, nothing.
What will you say to the Aboriginal community camped outside about where truth-telling and treaty is up to in lutruwita/Tasmania under your leadership?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for her question. I have put my willingness to engage with Tasmanian Aboriginal people on record many times and my views are well known, which I will come to in a moment. With respect to me meeting with the people outside, we have reached out and I am willing to engage. I have been willing to engage with Tasmanian Aboriginal people, irrespective of their communities, over the last few years.
It is important that the pathway forward is a uniting pathway that stops the divisiveness. I want to see Tasmanian Aboriginal communities working together. We have an advisory board group that has been set up under Mr Jaensch’s leadership progressing these matters that you speak of, appointed to work together with government to design a process for truth telling. It is important that it is led by Aboriginal people. It is also important that –
Dr Woodruff – It has been three years and he is not listening to them.
Mr ROCKLIFF – It is also very important that we bring the entire Tasmanian community with us.
Dr Woodruff – Well, there needs to be a legislative process.
The SPEAKER – Thank you. We will hear the Premier.
Mr ROCKLIFF – It is important that we bring the entire Tasmanian community with us. It is important that Tasmanian Aboriginal communities work together on a pathway forward and then moving forward with the Tasmanian community with truth telling, as we have spoken for in the past.
What concerns me most, and I expressed this many times leading up to the referendum on 14 October last year, was that irrespective of one’s view of the Voice referendum, we could all agree and unite around the fact that we need to do better when it comes to reducing incarceration rates amongst Tasmanian Aboriginal people, ensuring that life expectancy is greater amongst Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and focusing on educational attainment and economic opportunity when it comes to Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
We can all unite on that and that is my focus going forward regarding supporting Tasmanian Aboriginal communities and ensuring that we close the gap, literally, on all that unfortunate data.
Members – Hear, hear.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Dr WOODRUFF – Supplementary question to that, Speaker.
The SPEAKER – I will hear the supplementary.
Dr WOODRUFF – To the question that I asked the Premier, what will you say outside to the Aboriginal community about where the process is up to? Where is it up to? There is nothing happening.
The SPEAKER – If the Premier’s comfortable, I will call you to that one. Thank you.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Well, I have answered that question on where the focus of our government lies. We are working on setting up a discussion with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community outside and we look forward to those discussions. I will be speaking of the importance of closing the gap, the importance of all Tasmanian Aboriginal communities working together in unity about this very important pathway forward, and also of our focus when it comes to the vital matters – more pressing matters than legislation and treaty – and that is closing the gap on those very important issues regarding educational attainment and life expectancy.
The SPEAKER – Premier, the time for answering the supplementary has expired.
