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Speaker 1: There is a lot happening around the Northern Territory, but

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Speaker 1: there's certainly a lot happening in Canberra as Parliament sits,

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Speaker 1: and we know that yesterday well, the Prime Minister Anthony

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Speaker 1: Albaneze said that Australians will have a choice and a

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Speaker 1: chance to make history when they head to the polls

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Speaker 1: in the next six months to have their say on

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Speaker 1: the Voice to Parliament. Now we know that the legislation

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Speaker 1: passed through the Senate yesterday, and joining me on the

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Speaker 1: line from Canberra is our senator for the Northern Territory,

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Speaker 1: one of them, Melandarie McCarthy. Good morning to you, Melandery.

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Speaker 2: Oh, good morning, Katie, and good morning to your listeners

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Speaker 2: all the way from very very cool Canbra.

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Speaker 1: It's lovely here. You'd be a bit jealous, I reckon

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Speaker 1: of the territory with it.

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Speaker 2: I am totally jelly jelly. I just want to be

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Speaker 2: back home.

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Speaker 1: I bet now, MELANDERI it was a momentous day yesterday

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Speaker 1: with that legislation passing through the Senate, but I tell

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Speaker 1: you what, it wasn't without some pretty heated debate discussion.

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Speaker 2: Well that's right, Katie. We were actually up until four

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Speaker 2: fifteen on Friday nightteen through to Saturday morning, still debating

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Speaker 2: it in committee stage. Senator Murray Watt and myself answered

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Speaker 2: questions for ten hours in the Senate and then we

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Speaker 2: had the third and final reading of the bill on

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Speaker 2: Monday morning, and of course, which was most unusual that

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Speaker 2: senators would continue to speak in that third reading, but

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Speaker 2: they did. And democracy is a wonderful thing, Katie.

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Speaker 1: And Senator what is the process now? Because I think

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Speaker 1: that a lot of people will sort of be wondering, Okay,

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Speaker 1: how long is it going to take now before we

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Speaker 1: actually reach the point where we are going to going

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Speaker 1: to vote?

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Speaker 2: Well, that's right now. I'm pretty relieved. I'm very thankful, actually, Katie,

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Speaker 2: if I may add to all senators, irrespective of people's views,

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Speaker 2: I do believe it was done in a very respectful

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Speaker 2: and dignified way in terms of the debate. And now

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Speaker 2: what happens, Katie, is that it goes out to the

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Speaker 2: Australian people, and I'm very pleased that it does. You know,

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Speaker 2: it's seventeen million Australian who will determine what occurs now

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Speaker 2: at the referendum and what the final outcome will be.

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Speaker 2: But I still urge all Australians in this instance that

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Speaker 2: whatever your views, please do it in a respectful way.

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Speaker 2: I do believe that our country deserves that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, I think you know, it doesn't bother

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Speaker 1: me what people's views are, but please be respectful when

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Speaker 1: you have those discussions. But it's getting a bit hard, Senator.

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Speaker 1: You know, in some cases you like both on both

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Speaker 1: sides of the fence. I understand that people are incredibly passionate,

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Speaker 1: but in some ways it feels like whatever of you is,

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Speaker 1: you know, some are trying to really jam it down

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Speaker 1: your throat.

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Speaker 2: It's going to be tough for you. That going to

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Speaker 2: a referendum would always be hard. Our countries only agreed

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Speaker 2: to eight out of forty four questions over you know,

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Speaker 2: nineteen referendums, and so we know it's hard and it's

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Speaker 2: certainly difficult. But I would say to Australian that it

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Speaker 2: is really a simple request to recognize First Nations people

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Speaker 2: in the Constitution and to enable First Nations people to

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Speaker 2: have a say about policies and legislation that impacts then

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Speaker 2: you know, that's that's not really a big ask, and

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Speaker 2: I certainly ask Australian to remember that Melan Diary.

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Speaker 1: They're like, I get a lot of people say to

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Speaker 1: us here at the station. You know, Katie, the voice

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Speaker 1: is going to mean that then that committee is going

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Speaker 1: to be able to hold up legislation. They're going to

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Speaker 1: be able to have us say in every piece of

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Speaker 1: legislation that goes to Parliament. I think people are, you know,

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Speaker 1: they're rightly a bit confused about how big an impact

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Speaker 1: the voice may or may not have when it comes

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Speaker 1: to everyday decisions that are being made.

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Speaker 2: Well, this is a conversation now that will be taken

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Speaker 2: out across Australia to communities, to towns, to cities. To

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Speaker 2: have that conversation. You know, the legislation had to get

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Speaker 2: through first, Katie, and that's now been done. So these

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Speaker 2: next three to four months will be exactly what that's

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Speaker 2: about to enable ordinary Australia to be able to ask

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Speaker 2: more questions and to be able to have a conversation

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Speaker 2: in a respectful manner.

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Speaker 1: Well, and deary, can I ask do we have any

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Speaker 1: idea what date yet or what months even look?

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Speaker 2: We certainly know that the Prime Minister's identified from October

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Speaker 2: to December as the dates when the referendum will be.

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Speaker 2: I don't know. He hasn't actually announced a particular date

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Speaker 2: between October and December, but we certainly know that it

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Speaker 2: will be between that time. I'm certainly hopeful that it's

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Speaker 2: earlier because I'm conscious for us in the territory we've

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Speaker 2: got the wet season. It's really difficult for our you know,

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Speaker 2: people to get out and about. But also for no

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Speaker 2: doubt the Australian Electoral Commission. So there's some practical logistical

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Speaker 2: situations there that I'll certainly be pointing out and already have.

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Speaker 2: But again, at the end of the day, it will

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Speaker 2: be the Prime Inster's call. He can only call it

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Speaker 2: thirty three days before the referendum, Cadie right, very similar

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Speaker 2: to an election, so he can't call it for two

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Speaker 2: months after the bills passed. He can't call it beyond

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Speaker 2: six months. So there's a lot of restraints aroundendum bills

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Speaker 2: and the timing of them.

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Speaker 1: How concerned do you, I mean you pointed out that

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Speaker 1: number earlier before, like the number of referendums that have

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Speaker 1: happened across our history and the number that have been

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Speaker 1: voted up. How concerned are you with some of that

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Speaker 1: recent polling that has shown that you know that it's

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Speaker 1: he's looking as though people are starting to go to

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Speaker 1: no way.

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Speaker 2: Look, I'm not surprised by the up and down of

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Speaker 2: research polling, but I have to say I came away

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Speaker 2: from Barunga around that time where you had the full

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Speaker 2: land councils plus the Kimberly Clan Council and the Cape

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Speaker 2: York Land Council's all very strong and that gave me

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Speaker 2: a great deal of confidence about the people on the

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Speaker 2: ground and the communities on the ground, and in particularly

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Speaker 2: in Arham Land with the passing at Misteriannipingu and those

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Speaker 2: who really have pushed for these over decades. Katie, and

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Speaker 2: I think that you know, we all know that the

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Speaker 2: most important poll will be the one on the day.

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Speaker 1: Well Melan, Dearie McCarthy, Senator Labor Senator for the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: Appreciate your time today. I know it's busy with Parliament sitting,

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Speaker 1: so very much appreciate your time.

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Speaker 2: No worries, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Thank you