that will be coming from the inquiry injust a few that will be coming from the inquiry in just a few minutes. and we will be bringing you more on that as proceedings begin, we will cross live to the inquiry in central london. our correspondent is outside the building and will have the latest analysis. australians are beginning to cast their votes early in a landmark referendum which could see the forming of an indigenous body to advise its parliament. a yes vote will see aboriginal and torres strait island people included in the constitution for the first time and the body, called the voice, would give parliament non—binding advice. our correspondent, phil mercer, has more from sydney. the australian prime minister anthony bernays said that the voice and parliament would make a practical positive difference to the lives of indigenous people who suffer is proportionately higher rates of poverty, ill—health, and improvement —— imprisonment. indigenous people can expect to live eight years less long than their nonindigenous counterparts. the prime minister says that the voice to parliament would make a difference to first nations communities. on the other hand you have the no campaign which is a broad church including conservative and opposition politicians who say that this will be another unnecessary level of bureaucracy and they criticise the lack of detail as to how the voice would work and who would serve on it. we to how the voice would work and who would serve on it.— would serve on it. we are leaving that report _ would serve on it. we are leaving that report from _ would serve on it. we are leaving that report from australia, - would serve on it. we are leaving that report from australia, to - would serve on it. we are leaving | that report from australia, to take you straight to the beginning of the second part of the covid inquiry with baroness hallet speaking. we are with baroness hallet speaking. - are recalling witnesses, advisers, experts, scientists, politicians and civil servants but i will hear from about 15 witnesses who will describe the suffering and problems faced by various groups during the pandemic. first i will hear from four representatives of bereaved families. they will be followed by experts from later life, children as young people, front line and key workers, sex and gender, disabled people, lgbtqi+ and long covid. their evidence will enable us to put the decision—making into context and help us to establish the extent to which decision—makers took into account the interest of such groups, and the impact on them when making their decisions. i know that some of their decisions. i know that some of the bereaved have campaigned for me to call more bereaved as witnesses during this inquiry. i understand their concerns. however, we simply do not have the time to call more witnesses. the need for me to reach conclusions and make recommendations to reduce suffering in the future, when the next pandemic hits the uk, is pressing. i say when the next pandemic hits the uk, because the evidence in module one suggests that it is not if another pandemic will hit us, but when. the more witnesses to call in any module, and the longer the hearing takes, the greater the delay in making recommendations and the greater the delay in hearing other important modules investigating, for example, care homes and children and young people. i have therefore had to find other ways with the inquiry team to make sure that the voices of those who suffered during the pandemic are heard. the inquiry is not ignoring the bereaved or any other group who suffered, far from the bereaved or any other group who suffered, farfrom it. they may be called as witnesses in later modules when there will be a greater focus on the impact of the pandemic, or whether they can assist me on the subject of systemic failings. they can contribute to the listening exercise, every story matters, the reports from which i will consider carefully and which will inform my conclusions and recommendations. some of them may contribute to the impact films, one of which we are about to see. ia people from across the united kingdom have been recorded talking about the devastating impact the pandemic has had on their lives in the lives of theirfamilies. the film includes references to bereavement, grief, to care homes, hospital wards, funerals, feelings of guilt, feelings of anger, loneliness and isolation, long covid in adults and in children, mental health, physical disability and to lock rule breaking. iam disability and to lock rule breaking. i am extremely grateful to all those who have agreed to participate —— lockdown rule breaking. i know how difficult it must have been for them to recount their experiences on camera. as the impact films show that the beginning of module one, this film, also, is extremely moving and there will be those who find it too distressing to watch. i will pause in a moment to allow those who wish to do so to leave the room for a few minutes, they will be taken to a part of the building by the film will not be shown. the film lastsjust building by the film will not be shown. the film lasts just over 20 minutes. those following online shoe press mute and pose streaming if they do not wish to watch. —— should press. after the film we will reassemble and the council for the inquiry will begin his opening submissions. he will explain in more formal detail than i have done what we should be examining in this module and what the issues are that i need to resolve, with the help of counsel to the inquiry and all core participants. so those who would like to leave the room or switch off the streaming online, please do so now. my my son, he was eight. we shall now reassemble to hear more submissions. mr keith? these are live proceedings from the uk's — mr keith? these are live proceedings from the uk's covid _ mr keith? these are live proceedings from the uk's covid inquiry, - mr keith? these are live proceedings from the uk's covid inquiry, that - mr keith? these are live proceedings from the uk's covid inquiry, that is l from the uk's covid inquiry, that is baroness hallet who is leading the inquiry, the independent chair of the inquiry and, just before that, we watched a very moving video, a film with some of the survivors of the covid—i9 virus. there are family members, parents, children of those who died from covid. there were others in that moving video who suffered from the illnesses including debilitating long covid symptoms. this is the second part of the covid inquiry. stay with us here on bbc news, where we will have more coverage on those developments. welcome to the programme. live from london. this is bbc news let's go to the conservative party conference in manchester — where the future of europe's current biggest infrastructure project — the high speed 2 rail link between england's major cities — is dominating the headlines. morning we will hear from the steve barclay as the three—day doctors can strike continues. let's go live to nick eardley at the conference in manchester. now as i said, these ministers are going to be trying to change the conversation, to move the focus from hsz conversation, to move the focus from hs2 over to their own agendas. how successful you think will be? it’s a successful you think will be? it's a really good _ successful you think will be? it's a really good question. _ successful you think will be? it's a really good question. they - successful you think will be? it�*s —. really good question. they are struggling to do it at the moment is the honest answer. and over the next hour we will get some policy from government ministers and get them talking about parts of the governments agenda that are really important, but what the conference is so far failing to do important, but what the conference is so farfailing to do is grasp of the political imagination. and say here