*** CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY ***

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land upon which we start the Long Walk.

And I want to declare this was, it is and always will be Aboriginal land.

Until this country can secure equal treatment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and other Australians, we can not truly celebrate.

But I promise I will dedicate myself to the proposition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples deserve to have the same outcomes as every other Australian. And until they do, it is unfinished business. 

What happens to the equal treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may not decide the election between Malcolm and myself. But when we have the equal treatment of Aboriginal people, then we can change the nation. 

And we can do that together. 

Congratulations, Michael. Let's have a great walk in a great cause. 

ENDS