Anthony Albanese has hailed the appointment of a supporter of the Uluru Statement from the Heart as shadow attorney-general and indigenous affairs minister.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has appointed NSW MP Julian Leeser to the shadow ministry.
Mr Leeser has had a long and deep interest in Indigenous affairs, saying in a statement this week he was committed to “doing all I can to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians”.
“I take the appointment of Julian Leeser as a very positive sign,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Darwin on Wednesday.
“Julian Leeser is someone who’s been a supporter of the Uluru statement.”
Mr Albanese said he wanted to bring people of all political persuasions together in making the constitutional change for an Indigenous Voice to parliament, which Labor promised at the election.
“This will be just like the apology to Stolen Generations – when it happens, people will wonder why it hadn’t happened earlier,” he said.
He said there was a link between practical reconciliation – in areas such as health, education and housing – and symbolism.
“The two are connected. If you don’t give respect to people (through constitutional change), then you won’t be able to close the gap in health, in education, in housing, in life expectancy.
“Before the last election, the government had, I believe, a mandate, to advance this in the last term, and essentially it didn’t happen.
“It is now time for it to occur.”
The Labor leader said he would attend the 22nd annual Garma Festival, which will take place between July 29 and August 1, at Gulkula, a significant Yolngu ceremonial site about 40km from Nhulunbuy on the Gove peninsula in the Northern Territory.
