Mr ANDREW: My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships,
Minister for Communities and Minister for the Arts. Will the minister please explain to the House what
steps have already commenced to enact the Path to Treaty legislation and what work would be needed
to undo this process if the legislation were to be repealed?
Ms ENOCH: I thank the member for Mirani for his question. I want to take this moment to
acknowledge that he has found a new home with the Katter’s Australian Party. I do wish him the best
in his new endeavours. I want to acknowledge the fact that his very first question since his defection to
the Katter’s Australian Party is about the Path to Treaty legislation. I want to acknowledge that he
obviously has an influence over the Katter’s Australian Party in terms of their concern and interest in
the Path to Treaty legislation. I find it really exciting and comforting that they are perhaps looking at the
Path to Treaty legislation as something to be held up.
In terms of the Path to Treaty legislation there are two main elements that have already been
enacted. One is the establishment of a truth-telling and healing inquiry; they began their work on 1 July.
The second is the establishment of the Treaty Institute. That institute has been appointed and they
have been working very hard on the very foundations of establishing that institute. I imagine that just
like other members of the Katter’s Australian Party, he is speaking to First Nations leadership across
this state. First Nations leadership across this state is fully supportive of Path to Treaty legislation. They
are absolutely fully supportive of Path to Treaty legislation and want to see it enacted in full.
Of course, that came from a real desire to see that big gap that we see in life outcomes closed.
Our state, like all other states and territories across this country, is engaged in a national Closing the
Gap agreement. That agreement is about Closing the Gap in life outcomes for First Nations peoples.
We saw in this state a need to reframe the relationship to be able to meet our commitments under the
Closing the Gap agreement. That reframing of the relationship began many years ago and through lots
of consultation we got to the point of bringing to this parliament, the 57th Parliament, Path to Treaty
legislation, which was supported. It had bipartisan support and was emphatically supported by the
member for Broadwater, the Leader of the Opposition, who stood in the chamber in Cairns and
absolutely supported that legislation. However, within months he abandoned Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people; he backflipped and turned his back on them.
This is what we see in the Leader of the Opposition. You cannot trust a single word he says. He
could not even run his own business in a way that would be transparent. He is shifty, he is dodgy, and
that is what we see from him when it comes to Path to Treaty legislation.
Mr SPEAKER: Minister, I have spoken previously about using terms such as ‘dodgy’ to
characterise a member. I ask you to withdraw those comments.
Ms ENOCH: I withdraw.