Anthony Albanese’s Indigenous working model a voice of authority

Anthony Albanese has given his clearest indication yet of how an Indigenous voice might operate by citing the Torres Strait Islands’ elected local authority as an example of a voice that already exists.

Anthony Albanese joins locals on Thursday Island during his visit to the Torres Strait. Picture: PMO

Anthony Albanese has given his clearest indication yet of how an Indigenous voice might operate by citing the Torres Strait Islands’ elected local authority as an example of a voice that already exists.

The Torres Strait Regional Authority consists of 20 residents, elected every four years, who speak directly to Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney. The proposed Indigenous voice would be a national body of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people authorised to advise the entire parliament.

On a day-long visit to the Torres Strait to discuss the voice on Thursday, the Prime Minister told residents: “When it happens people will wonder why it wasn’t done before.”

Mr Albanese visited Thursday Island with Ms Burney in the first of a series of consultations on the voice. Labor has committed to take Australians to a voice referendum in this term of parliament. Labor’s draft referendum question, released in July, is: “Do you support an alteration to the Constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice?”

Mr Albanese told Torres Strait Island residents a yes vote would recognise “the full history of this great island continent, one in which we of course have the oldest continuous civilisation on Earth. That should be a great source of pride not only for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people but all Australians”. “But it’s also important that a voice be used for practical purposes to close the gap in housing and education, health, in life expectancy,” he said.

Mr Albanese and Ms Burney listened to singing prayer and watched a dance performance by students from Tagai State College before the Prime Minister told locals their Torres Strait Regional Authority was “an example of a representative body that enables people to speak with that one voice”. “So we know when people speak about ‘What does the voice look like?’, we actually know there are examples there of representative bodies that are able to speak out, and to speak up on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” he said.

Mr Albanese and Ms Burney held meetings with the Torres Strait’s office holders in the morning, then talked with residents. They were each presented with gifts of a basket each. Gift giving is an important part of island custom, known as Ailan Kastom.

Thursday Island was the location for one of 13 meetings that resulted in the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for a constitutionally enshrined voice. At each meeting, Indigenous Australians were asked to consider what constitutional recognition meant to them.

Torres Strait Island Regional Council mayor Phillemon Mosby personally supports the voice and said his people wanted constitutional change that was more than a mention in the preamble.