In a relaxing of the normal rules of the House, Labor M-P Linda Burney was sung into the House by Lynette Riley, a woman from her tribe, the Wiradjuri of Western Sydney.
Ms Burney reflected on how much Australia has changed in her lifetime.
"I was born at a time when a white woman having an aboriginal baby was shocking and doubly so if that woman was not married. I was born at a time when the Australian government knew how many sheep there were but not how many Aboriginal people. I was ten years old before the 1967 referendum fixed that. The first decade of my life was spent as a non citizen."
The first Indigenous woman to be elected to the lower house is sung into her seat #indigenous #history pic.twitter.com/JPemSpfiOC — Anna Henderson (@annajhenderson) August 31, 2016
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