Anthony Albanese has responded to criticism from Voice to Parliament campaigner Noel Pearson that he “ran away” from indigenous issues after the referendum failure.
The Prime Minister insisted on Thursday that his Labor government is making great strides to close the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
This is despite Pearson arguing that indigenous affairs are now in “worse shape than before the Voice”.
“We are taking action,” Mr. Albanese said.
‘We want to do what we can to close the gap in education, health, housing, on all these issues, which is what the referendum was about.
“However, we accept the result, so we have to approach it in different ways.”
Albanese took responsibility for his role in the referendum, but said he was responding to a request from the First Nations community through the Uluru Heart Statement for constitutional recognition.
He was “disappointed by the outcome” of the vote after months of campaigning and investing $364 million to secure a Yes vote.
Anthony Albanese has responded to criticism from Voice to Parliament campaigner Noel Pearson that he “ran away” from Indigenous affairs after the referendum failure.
Albanese took responsibility for his role in the referendum, but said he was responding to a request from the First Nations community through the Uluru Heart Statement for constitutional recognition.
When Australians went to the polls on October 14, 60 percent of voters and all states voted against the proposal.
Indigenous Yes activists subsequently fell silent for a period of mourning and have only recently begun to re-emerge to share their thoughts on the campaign.
Pearson appeared in conversation with former ABC presenter Stan Grant at the Woodford Folk Festival in the Moreton Bay region of Queensland on December 30, where attendees said he was candid about the pain caused by the referendum loss.
Veteran news photographer David Kapernick tweeted that Pearson “wasn’t impressed with Albanese…he says he’s on the run and won’t do anything.”
But Albanese made clear in a news conference that he does not believe that is the case and promised to continue “looking for new ways to achieve the result of advancing reconciliation.”
On Thursday, the Prime Minister insisted his Labor government is making strides to close the gap, despite observations from Voice architect Noel Pearson that Indigenous affairs are in a “worse state than before the Voice”.
“It is unacceptable that we have gaps in life expectancy, that there is a greater chance of an indigenous youth going to prison than to university,” he said.
The Prime Minister referenced several policy achievements designed for First Nations people, including a clause in the National Skills Agreement for programs specifically designed to provide new opportunities for Indigenous Australians.
He also said the government has “advanced our plan for the delivery of remote housing” as part of Australia’s Future Housing Fund announced in early 2023.
“We continue to be involved across the board in Indigenous affairs,” Mr Albanese said.
Pearson appeared in conversation with former ABC presenter Stan Grant at the Woodford Folk Festival in the Moreton Bay region of Queensland on December 30, where attendees said he was candid about the pain caused by the referendum loss.
Veteran news photographer David Kapernick tweeted that Pearson (left) “wasn’t impressed with Albanese… says he’s running away and won’t do anything,” during an appearance at the Woodford Folk Festival with former ABC host Stan Grant ( right).