Julian Leeser urges Anthony Albanese to step up and fill the void of voices with cards telling the truth

“It’s about bringing people together and having people walk with you.”

Fighting back tears, the 67-year-old said history would look kindly on Labor’s attempts to give the Aboriginal parliament a voice in the constitution.

“Of course, as the prime minister said, the ‘voice’ referendum did not bring about the outcome we had hoped for, but I think history will be gracious about it. But I know in my heart I did everything I could to bridge the gap and promote reconciliation,” she said.

“Progress doesn’t always move in a straight line. We make progress and then we have setbacks. That’s the history of justice for Aboriginal people in this country. But with each passing generation, that arc bends a little bit more towards justice. The referendum result is certainly disappointing, but we accept it.

“There are some silver linings to this result. 6.5 million Australians said ‘yes’, that’s a silver lining. The emergence of a new generation of young Aboriginal leaders is also a silver lining.”

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In a major speech on the future of reconciliation after The Voice, Liberal MP Leeser He said in his speech it was a shame for Australia that it had not acted since the failure of The Voice, which made no mention of the Coalition’s key role in its defeat.

Former Coalition spokesperson on Aboriginal Australia. Opposition backbencher He said he had hoped parliament would be able to unite after the referendum and pass a resolution committed to national reconciliation, but “no such resolution has been tabled yet”.

“That’s sad because the referendum defeat undermined the reconciliation process. But even sadder is the state’s silence on Indigenous affairs since the referendum,” he said.

“In some ways it’s like the referendum never happened.

“Now is the time for everyone — including the prime minister, especially the prime minister — as well as Indigenous leaders and the nation itself to recommit to reconciliation.”

Leeser said Bernie’s resignation provided Albanese with an opportunity to reset the portfolio.

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