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Parramatta's Mitchell Moses has celebrated his long-awaited contract extension by scoring the match-winning field goal against local rivals Penrith, icing a 17-16 extra-time win that kickstarts the Eels' season.

Up 16-14 with 20 seconds to play in a high-quality grand-final rematch on Thursday, Parramatta gave the Panthers one last chance to equalise when co-captain Junior Paulo struck Zac Hosking around the chin and found himself sin-binned.

Nathan Cleary kicked for touch and once the ball was in play, drilled a two-point field goal to tie the game as the siren sounded.

But Mitch Kenny's high shot on Waqa Blake reduced the visitors to 12 in the first minute of extra time and marched the Eels upfield where Moses sealed the result.

"I definitely don't think it was a sin bin, a penalty maybe," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said of Kenny's hit.

"He was just getting off the line like he always does trying to make a play.

"There were a couple of big penalties in big moments tonight. It's a shame."

The win at CommBank Stadium will give the Eels untold confidence following a 0-3 start that threatened to bring their premiership tilt unstuck before it had begun.

Eels coach Brad Arthur said the win needed to inspire the Eels into form.

"We'll see how we respond to it next week," he said.

"We've had some tough games (to start the year) and we could've won all three of them. We've been victims of our own circumstances.

"At least tonight we took control of it. If we got beaten tonight, there wasn't much more we could've done footy-wise to try and win it."

Penrith, meanwhile, have begun their premiership defence with two losses from their first three games.

Their attack has been below their grand final-winning best, producing only 44 points across the first three games compared to 86 in the same period last year.

"Disappointing to have the loss but I think we'll get a lot out of that game," coach Cleary said.

Hours after signing his highly-anticipated contract extension, Moses had some great moments in regulation time, including two forced dropouts in quick succession, a one-on-one tackle on Luke Garner close to the line and a hit on Jarome Luai that forced an error in the first half.

Ryan Matterson was solid with 166 run metres on his return from the three-match suspension he chose over a $4,000 fine after the grand final.

The Eels controlled the territory battle early, completing at 94 per cent across the first half, and drew first blood when Dylan Brown split the defence with a grubber kick for Bryce Cartwright.

But the Panthers scored next against the run of play - Isaah Yeo broke his arms free from the defence and offloaded to Scott Sorensen, who found the omnipresent Dylan Edwards.

A Nathan Cleary penalty goal levelled the scores 8-8 on the halftime siren.

On NRL debut, 23-year-old Penrith junior Brendan Hands broke the stalemate for Parramatta, before Hosking, called in as an injury replacement for Liam Martin, brought the Panthers back within two.

The game's best clutch player, Cleary had the game back on level terms in the dying seconds but was trumped in extra time by fellow No.7 Moses.

The Panthers will lose bench hooker Soni Luke for next week's game after he failed his HIA in the second half.

© AAP 2023

An emotional Anthony Albanese has urged Australians to back a historic referendum to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the constitution, telling the nation "don't miss it".

The prime minister joined members of the referendum working group on Thursday to unveil the question to be put to voters later this year and the proposed changes to the constitution.

Choking back tears, Mr Albanese - who went to the 2022 election promising the constitutional change - said this was the nation's chance to "run on the field and engage".

"Every Australian wants us to close the gap and today points the way to how. By enshrining a voice in our constitution and by listening to that voice," he said.

"What we have done up to now hasn't worked."

Mr Albanese urged Australians to be part of history.

"All of us can own an equal share of what I believe will be an inspiring and unifying Australian moment. I say to Australia, don't miss it," he said.

The question to be put to voters is:

"A Proposed Law: to alter the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?"

The proposed changes to the constitution will involve adding three sentences:

* "There shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;

* "The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to parliament and the executive government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

* "The parliament shall, subject to this constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures."

The proposed introductory words of the constitution will be:

"In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia".

Laws setting out the question and constitutional change will go to parliament on March 30, ahead of the referendum expected to be held between October and December.

But the government is facing pushback from the opposition, with the Nationals staunchly against the voice and the Liberals calling for more details before settling their position.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the government should release advice from the solicitor-general, as well as explain how it would make a practical difference, particularly for Indigenous women and children facing violence.

"Is it going to make it more difficult because there is another layer of bureaucracy and makes it harder for the Indigenous women in these communities to be heard?" he said.

Referendum working group member Thomas Mayo said Indigenous Australians must remain hopeful.

"It has given Indigenous people who have been ignored and treated poorly for far too long a voice so that we may improve our lives," he said.

"It is profound because it includes over 60,000 years of continuous heritage and culture in our constitution - a recognition from the moment we say, 'yes'."

An emotional Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said it would be "a simple but powerful act".

"I was 10 years old in 1967 - I spent the first 10 years of my life not being counted," she said.

"(The referendum) will give all Australians the chance to come together to recognise and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and story."

The proposed model will have representatives from all states and territories as well as the Torres Strait and specific remote areas, with gender balance and youth members.

Representatives will be appointed by communities, not the government, and serve specific terms.

If the referendum is passed, the parliament would then legislate the functions and powers of the voice.

© AAP 2023

An Australian Defence Force helicopter is lying in shallow water on the NSW south coast after the pilot was forced to ditch when it got into trouble during a night-time counter-terrorism training exercise.

Ten soldiers on board were plucked to safety in a dramatic rescue after the Army MRH-90 Taipan multi-role helicopter went down just after 9pm on Wednesday.

Defence has temporarily paused the training activity and grounded the MRH-90 Taipan fleet while the cause of the incident is investigated.

Commander Army Aviation Command, Major General Stephen Jobson praised the professionalism of those involved in the emergency.

"The aircraft has successfully allowed for the egress of all 10 occupants and the air crew handling the aircraft played a very large part in ensuring that outcome," he told reporters in Jervis Bay.

The exercise involved members of the 6th Aviation Regiment and Special Forces 2nd Commando Regiment.

Small boats that were part of the training exercise helped ferry the survivors back to shore where they were checked by paramedics before being assessed by medical personnel at HMAS Creswell, south of Nowra.

One of the crew was treated for a "a head bump" while the another had ingested seawater, Maj Gen Jobson said.

"I can advise that the aircrew are robust and on their feet and assisting with the safety investigation."

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the crash happened when the helicopter lost power mid-flight.

"The crew were able to shut down the rotor ... in really a textbook fashion and were able to ditch the helicopter in Jervis Bay itself," he said.

"This was an extremely professional textbook response to obviously a terribly frightening situation," he told Nine's Today program.

"The critical question is why did the engine stop."

In 2021, the government announced plans to prematurely withdraw the European-made Taipan model from service, replacing them with Black Hawks and Seahawks purchased from the United States.

The Navy has already stopped using the Taipan choppers, which are now solely operated by the Army, with a spate of groundings and technical issues raising concerns over their reliability.

At the time, the defence department said the Taipan model - made by Airbus - had not met contractual availability requirements and had experienced blown-out operational costs ahead of its planned withdrawal from service in 2037.

Mr Marles praised the skill of the pilot in manoeuvring the chopper to ensure the safety of all on board.

"It is an incredible act on the part of the crew in managing to get the helicopter down in a manner where pretty well everyone's able to walk away," Mr Marles said.

Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, thanked emergency responders for their quick action.

"Tonight quick responses from ADF personnel and emergency services and well-drilled teams prevented a potential tragedy," he said.

"We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident to determine the cause and ensure the platform remains safe to operate."

Maj Gen Dobson said efforts were being made to mitigate any effects on the environment.

"There is an engineering assessment being undertaken that will both look at the environmental aspects and the recovery of the aircraft," he said.

An investigation by the Defence Flight Safety Bureau is under way, with the incident site contained by Australian Federal Police.

© AAP 2023