PETER MALINAUSKAS, PREMIER OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Good morning, everybody and thanks for joining us here at the Adelaide Central Markets on a really important moment. We are on the precipice of a big decision as a country and I couldn't be prouder to be standing next to the Prime Minister of our nation, Anthony Albanese, who has had the fortitude and the courage to put this question to the Australian people just as he committed he would do. It's also great to be here with the Foreign Minister, a proud South Australian, Senator Penny Wong. Along with my good mate, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in South Australia and the Attorney General, Kyam Maher. And I want to particularly acknowledge Pat Farmer. Pat, how you get out of bed is absolutely beyond me, mate. But we're very, very proud. Tomorrow's a big day, there's no two ways about it. Tomorrow is a big day for the future of our country. But it's a particularly important moment, for the future of Indigenous Affairs within our nation. I don't know a single Australian during the course of this campaign, throughout our state, I certainly haven't encountered a single South Australian, that doesn't want to see better outcomes for the most disenfranchised and disadvantaged communities in the country. People know that we need to do better when it comes to the lives of our First Nations people. They deserve the same opportunities as everybody else. And tomorrow, we have our own opportunity to try and move that needle of change in the right direction. To grease the wheels of momentum for the advancement of that idea of a fair country that gives everyone the same go, a fair go. And when we go to the ballot box in South Australia, I'm actively advocating for a Yes vote, we believe firmly that only a Yes vote will see positive change for the future. A No vote does get us nowhere. A No vote is simply a vote for the status quo that no one accepts is good enough. I sincerely hope that as a state and as a country, we can have the courage tomorrow, to say yes to none other than a non-binding advisory committee to our nation's parliament and government. I don't see any harm that could come out of that, only good. When we think about all the other advisory bodies and committees that exist for every industry group, for every single representation of our population, they all exist and we all acknowledge they do good for policy, whether it be at a state level or a federal. Why shouldn't Aboriginal people have their own non-binding advisory committee to the parliament? Why shouldn't we recognise in our Constitution that we are home to the longest living culture that has ever existed in human history. We can provide these things only thorough a Yes vote tomorrow. I desperately hope that that's the outcome through South Australia and throughout the rest of the country. And I want to thank the Prime Minister for getting the nation the opportunity to say Yes, I'm very proud to be campaigning alongside you this morning.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks so much, Mali. It's great to be here with you and with all the colleagues who are here and I want to join with you in giving a shout out to Pat Farmer. I met Pat when he finished his run at Uluru just a couple of days ago. He caught a plane here which shows that he has realised that there are other ways to get around this vast nation other than run. But 14,500 kilometres is such an extraordinary effort and it's inspiring that Pat Farmer, former Liberal member for Macarthur in our national parliament, has been running 80 kilometres a day since April. Since April in order to raise awareness about the importance of this as part of his commitment to our first Australians. Pat's run 14,500 kilometres. But what Australians are being asked to do, with the gracious request made Uluru in 2017, is to just walk a few metres into the polling booth tomorrow and write three letters on a ballot paper, Y. E. S. – Yes. Yes to constitutional recognition of our first Australians. And yes to doing it in the form that they have asked for, with a non-binding advisory committee to give advice from Indigenous Australians about matters that affect the lives of Indigenous Australians, so that we improve the lives and outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
Now, I noticed today in the 'Tiser there is a survey. And a survey says that the priorities of the Australian people are cost of living, employment, a range of other issues, health and education - and that is precisely what we have been saying. And that's why my government has been having an Employment White Paper, why last week I was here in Adelaide opening an Urgent Care Clinic, I did another one in Perth yesterday. Why we have cheaper medicines, cheaper childcare, fee free TAFE, the Employment White Paper, after creating more than 500,000 new jobs as a new government. Why my government's been determined to deal with the full suite of issues just this week. Being able to see Cheng Lei reunited with her two beautiful children and family in Melbourne – why we have done all of that. But at the same time, we had made the point that what is before the Australian people will not impact the lives of 97 per cent of Australians. But it just may make life better for the 3 per cent of Australians who are Indigenous, who can trace our heritage of the first Australians back for 65,000 years. For people who have an eight year gap in life expectancy, for Indigenous young males who are more likely to go to jail than to university, for a suicide rate that is twice as high for Indigenous Australians, for an Indigenous young woman who is twice as likely to die in childbirth as a non-Indigenous woman. For people suffering from diseases that have been eradicated from most parts of not just the first world, but the developing world as well, but which Indigenous people continue to suffer from in this country. We can do better. No takes us nowhere. We are living in No right now. We have an opportunity for Australians to do better. To do better to show respect for the first Australians, but to do something for ourselves as well. Because we will feel better. We will feel better about ourselves on Sunday with a Yes vote. Just as we felt better after the Apology to the Stolen Generations. When all of the fear campaign that was raised then was shown to have no substance. And the fear campaign here has no substance as well. Which is why the No campaign has raised everything but the questions that are before for the Australian people. In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first peoples of Australia, that's what the recognition part of the vote tomorrow is about. Clear, unequivocal. Then, there shall be a body to be called The Voice. It may make representations to government and parliament about matters that affect Indigenous Australians, and the parliament remains supreme, is able to make laws about the functioning of the Voice. A very clear and unequivocal proposition before the Australian people. I said on election night, on the 21st of May, that we would fulfil the commitment that we made unlike previous governments, such as the Morrison Government in 2019, that was elected saying they would advance this issue. That we would put it to the Australian people, and we have done so. And it is now over to the Australian people. Every single person having one vote, one value, to make a difference to the most disadvantaged group in our Australian society. But I said something else on election night as well, I used another term. I spoke about kindness. And this week of all weeks, where we see such trauma in the world. There is nothing, no cost to Australians showing kindness with their heart as well as their head when they enter the polling booth tomorrow and voting Yes. Because my goodness, kindness costs nothing. Thinking of others cost nothing. This is a time where Australians have that opportunity to show the generosity of spirit that I see in the Australian character. Where at the worst of times, we always see the best of the Australian character. I hope we see that tomorrow. I hope we see that generosity. And I call upon my fellow Australians to vote Yes tomorrow.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, how confident are you that South Australia will deliver a Yes vote? The polls have the No vote ahead here. This is your fifth visit in six weeks since the announcement.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, some of the polls, I note some of the polls forgot to talk to actually anyone, before they got released. I've seen the so called 'seat by seat' polling, based upon on no discussions with any voters. Now I've spoken with voters, not just in Adelaide, but in Port Lincoln earlier this week, I've got to say, as well as in Whyalla I visited with the Premier, and I've had positive feedback this morning in Glenelg. I can assure you that the volleyballers of Glenelg Beach are voting Yes, as well as the dog walkers. And I've just had positive feedback everywhere I have been. Now, obviously, this is not a unanimous position. We're in a democracy, we'll respect outcomes, and we respect people's rights to come to their own views. There are some people who say we should never change the Constitution. But I make this point, when the Founding Fathers prior to 1901, and they were all men, wrote the Constitution, they made provision for New Zealand to join as a state, but they forgot about the first Australians. They forgot people were here before 1788. And that decision wasn't overturned until Mabo. It's a recent decision to reject Terra Nullius, the idea that this was a vacant land.
In 2023, if not now, when? When will we acknowledge the fullness and richness of our history? And the other thing that I'm inspired by is the commitment of, overwhelmingly, of First Nations people. At Uluru, I sat down in the red dirt with the Anangu women who sang a song, and that song, the third one that they sang to me, a very deeply, spiritual ceremony that they conducted there. It is one of the honours of my life to have had that occur. And what they did in a new song that they presented to me as Prime Minister of Australia, was a song in which they held large sticks and they dragged it in that red dirt in Central Australia, the heart of Australia, behind them to symbolise the burden of colonisation and the impact that it has had on them, including the Stolen Generations and the other activity. And then they held it above their heads, they held it to symbolise rising to the occasion and calling upon their fellow Australians to rise to the occasion, which we are giving Australian people as a result of the request from first Australians. This has not come from politicians. This hasn't come from Penny or Steve or Mali or Kyam. This has come from Indigenous Australians. This is grassroots requests and I hope that Australians consider that. There's been a lot of politics played. It's unfortunate that the No campaign is not offering any alternative, just more of the same. Including Peter Dutton, who has made a decision, consistent with the decision that was made to find the Apology to Stolen Generations so offensive, he couldn't even sit and remain in the Chamber while Kevin Rudd and Brendan Nelson exercised that Apology, in a bipartisan way. He apologised for that earlier this year, but unfortunately has gone down the same road.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, polling shows there are some Adelaide seats that are sitting at a knife edge, do you believe you've done enough campaigning in Adelaide? Obviously you were in Port Lincoln earlier this week. But specifically in Adelaide could you have done more campaigning to get those seats over the line?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I ignore the seat by seat polling. I treat that with what it deserves, which is they didn't speak to anyone in any of those seats. So, I've been in Adelaide a number of times, and we launched the campaign here in Elizabeth, and we did that in part because if people translate, there's been some quite good social media done replacing, 'Indigenous' with 'women'. Because Adelaide has a proud history, this great state of South Australia, in being the first place in the world to enfranchise women. And at that time, there were people who said, giving women the vote and the right to participate in our democratic process will take away the rights of men. There were some women who campaigned against it, as well. Guess what? South Australia can be so proud of its great history. This great state, with the social reforms of the great Don Dunstan and others. South Australians can be proud. And I hope that tomorrow night, there's another chapter of pride added to South Australia's history of embracing the future in a positive way, in being an inclusive state - and that is why I'm confident. Wherever I've been in South Australia, and I've been in seats in the north of Makin and Spence, I've been in Kingston, I've been in Adelaide, of course, in Port Adelaide, I've been in Sturt and I've been in Boothby. In all of these areas, the feedback I've had is incredibly positive.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, have you got an update on the number of Australians stuck in Gaza?
PENNY WONG, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Thanks for the question. Before I answer that, can I just say thank you to Julie Bishop, as well as Tanya Hosch, who joined me for an online forum with the Advertiser last night. And Julie Bishop articulated the perspective that actually is the traditional Liberal perspective, which was that the Voice was bipartisan policy until only recently under Mr Dutton. And she set out, if I may say so very eloquently, why she, as a Liberal, as a former deputy leader of the Liberal Party and as Foreign Minister for five years, set out why she is supporting the Voice and why she is supporting the Yes campaign.
But to the terrible events in Israel, I thank you for the opportunity to make a couple of comments. The numbers I had as I walked into this were nineteen in Gaza, but obviously the situation on the ground is evolving. I do want to say this to Australians in Israel, we have a flight that is leaving Friday, that is today Israeli time. We are working on other flights. I would urge anyone who wishes to leave, to not delay. I would urge anyone who wishes to leave to ensure they are registered with us, that is the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. You can register with us and we will seek to make contact with all who are registered and wish to leave about the available flights. But I again say to people, if you wish to leave, I would urge you not to delay.
JOURNALIST: What can you do though for people who are in Gaza?
MINISTER WONG: I think the Prime Minister made some comments about that this morning. Obviously, the situation in Gaza is extremely difficult. We are engaging with Egypt, as is the US, about seeking to establish humanitarian corridors. But obviously, the situation on the ground is extremely difficult.
JOURNALIST: Have you had any contact with the family of four from South Australia who are trapped there?
MINISTER WONG: I haven't personally. I understand that there has been some contact, but I'm not in a position to add anything further on that.
JOURNALIST: INAUDIBLE Do you still support them?
MINISTER WONG: Obviously we have a situation where there are hostages and I call upon those, I called for the release of those hostages. This is a very difficult situation and I note that the United States and other parties, are seeking to establish humanitarian access and humanitarian corridors and Australia supports those efforts.
JOURNALIST: Are you concerned about some of the language that's being used, as ASIO is, about the nature of the language being used by some public figures, some broadcast outlets about the situation in the Middle East, that might be inflaming the situation back here in Australia as well?
MINISTER WONG: Yes, I am. I think, ASIO has outlined, very clearly to all of us, why this situation requires calm leadership. It requires us to seek to bring Australians together, not to divide them. People come to this country because we are tolerant, we are accepting, we are respectful and we need to work together, all politicians, to hold that. This is not a time for certain politicians to be seeking to play to fear and division in the community. It is time for all of us to say 'we stand against all hatred, all prejudice, there is no place for anti-Semitism as there is no place for discrimination and prejudice of any kind'. It's the time for us to come together. We know this is distressing for the Jewish community. We know there are many in Australia who have very strong views about the Palestinian aspirations. And I would say this, one of the great tragedies, apart from the horrific nature of Hamas's actions, one of the great tragedies of what they have done, is they have pushed further away the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian peoples.
JOURNALIST: Do you refer then to the Opposition in particular?
MINISTER WONG: People can work out who seeks to divide, who seeks to bring people together. I'm for unity.
JOURNALIST: Minister, just responding to the South Australian family that claims they are having issues getting out and that the government is not listening to them, how do you respond to those concerns?
MINISTER WONG: I would say, we are doing, I know and I've spoken to our Ambassador in Tel Aviv, I've spoken to the Head of Post in Ramallah. I know that the department is working as hard as we are able. It is a very volatile and difficult situation but, and I'm not in a position to go into any further details about individuals.
JOURNALIST: Minister, the Opposition is accusing Labor of being weak on Israel, and there are suggestions western Sydney Labor MPs like Chris Bowen and Tony Burke should speak out in support. What do you make of that?
MINISTER WONG: Well, I refer to my earlier answer about unity and I refer people to the comments of the Prime Minister, my own comments, the speech I gave in Melbourne to the Australia-Israel Business Council. Our position is clear and we ought not have people in this country seeking to make division where there is none, at a time where are such difficult issues in the Australian community. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: I'm just going to give Kyam the opportunity to say something, and Pat to say something, as well.
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MINISTER FOR ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS, KYAM MAHER: It is a pleasure to be here, on the heart of Kaurna Yerta, in the centre of Adelaide. I have spoken to thousands of people over the last few months about this referendum and the question I now get the most is, what do Aboriginal people want? I want to do the best by Aboriginal people, what do they want? I can say absolutely and overwhelmingly, Aboriginal people want their fellow Australians to vote Yes tomorrow. The whole concept for what we're voting on came from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The wording that is being voted on, was developed with Aboriginal people and Aboriginal people want this change overwhelmingly. One of the greatest things I think I've seen in my lifetime, is the increasing pride non-Aboriginal people take in sharing this land with the oldest living culture on the planet. That's also allowed Aboriginal people, particularly young Aboriginal people, to take more pride in who they are, their identity and their culture. This referendum builds on that, this referendum builds on that generosity of spirit, that sense of inclusion that we have seen develop over the last few decades. Wai piranpa tjuta, Anangu tjuta Kurunpa winkingku vote palya, vote uwa playa. Everyone, Aboriginal people, non-Aboriginal people, with an openness of your heart and spirit, please vote Yes tomorrow.
PAT FARMER: Can I just reiterate Penny's words in relation to Julie Bishop and her stance of this issue, the issue of a Voice to Parliament. I'd like to send out my congratulations to people like Julie Bishop, like Ken Wyatt, like Julian Leeser, like Bridget Archer, who are from the Coalition, but who are prepared to stand up and say that this is not a political issue and should never have been a political issue. This is something that involves human rights. It's about Closing the Gap. I've seen firsthand, not only on this occasion, but on the many occasions when I've travelled outback and around Australia, the need and the concern in communities in Australia, as the Prime Minister outlined, the need and the concerns that you would normally only ever get in overseas third world countries. Australia can do better. Australia will do better. I have faith in the Australian people to vote Yes on Saturday and to change things for the better and to support future generations. And I'd like to thank all of you for your continued support in that endeavour.
PRIME MINISTER: Well done, Pat. I'll see you in Tasmania.