Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (14:46): I thank Senator Price for her question. I would begin by acknowledging the huge amount of work that the Minister for Indigenous Australians, assisted by Senator Malarndirri McCarthy and Senator Dodson, has done in supporting the Prime Minister and the announcement he made on Saturday about progressing a referendum and voice, treaty and truth. This is a period of time—and certainly we discussed it this morning in our party room—of enormous pride to get behind and build momentum to amend the Constitution with a referendum— The P RESIDENT: Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Cash. Senator Cash: I'm sorry, Madam President: with all due respect to Senator Gallagher, Senator Nampijinpa Price's question was very, very clear. It was in relation to comments made by the minister on ATSIC and why the Minister for Indigenous Australians is using ATSIC as the basis for the Labor Party's model. It wasn't about the work that had been done to date; it wasn't about anything, yet, that Senator Gallagher is referring to. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Cash. Senator Wong. Senator Wong: It was the voice. The minister is relevant. Senator McKenzie interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! Sen ator Wong: A point of order. The subject matter was the voice. The minister is relevant. And I'd ask the senator to withdraw. That is a reflection on— Senator McKenzie: If it would assist the chamber, Madam President, I will withdraw. The PRESIDENT: Thank you. Senator Brockman. Senator Brockman: I wish to add, on the point of order, that I've just reviewed the question, and it had no mention of the voice. The PRESIDENT: Senator Brockman, please resume your seat. I'm about to rule on the point of order. I listened very carefully to the question. It was broad ranging. It did talk about Q+A. It talked about ATSIC. It talked about the health and welfare of First Nations peoples in this country. I've listened carefully to Minister Gallagher, who's still got one minute 15 to go. If she is not addressing the question, I will draw it to her attention. Minister Gallagher. Senator GALLAGHER: I didn't see the minister's comments, but I know the minister well and have had many conversations with her about this, as I have with many of my colleagues on this side of the chamber. The point, I think, of the discussions that we've been having since the Prime Minister's address on Saturday is really about progressing constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which has been worked on for many, many years. The PRESIDENT: Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Cash. Senator Cash: President, with all due respect—yet again, the question was very, very clear. It was in relation to comments about ATSIC and why the Minister for Indigenous Australians is using ATSIC as the basis for the Labor Party model. I put it to you—and I may have to request that you have a look at your rulings—that the mere mention of a word in a question does not enable the minister to refer to that particular word as the answer. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Cash. I'll take advice from the Clerk. Senator Cash and other senators have drawn Minister Gallagher back to a part of the question. I will invite the minister to continue answering the question. Senator GALLAGHER: As I said, I didn't hear the comments that the minister made, but I understand the approach that she, Senator Dodson, as the special envoy, and Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, as assistant minister, are bringing to this discussion. As the Prime Minister has said, there will be further consultation and deliberation with First Nations people, and with the community more broadly, as we work towards the referendum, but we've been talking about this for 15 years. We want the debate around it to be respectful, we want to bring people together on the journey and we want to get the outcome in the end. That is what Minister Burney and all of us are working towards. The PRESIDENT: Senator Nampijinpa Price, a supplementary question?