Anthony Albanese sparked outrage after saying he was still committed to Makarrata despite Australians voting overwhelmingly against the Voice referendum.
The Prime Minister made the comments at the Garma Festival, at a ceremonial site in north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, on Saturday.
“We remain committed to Makarrata, that powerful Yolngu word gifted to the nation, to come together after a struggle,” Albanese told the crowd.
The comment sparked outrage, with many Australians criticising the failed Voice to Parliament referendum in October 2023, in which 60 per cent of Australians voted against.
Mr Albanese clarified on Sunday that his government would not seek a Makarrata Commission – which was one of the key pillars of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and seen as a pathway to the treaty – and instead only supported the Makarratta concept.
“We voted NO. Why is that so hard for you to understand?” wrote one outraged Australian on social media platform X.
“NO means NO. We do not condone reparations or treaties, we do not condone divisions based on race, we do not condone separatism. We are ALL Australians,” commented another.
“I don’t remember the referendum being a ‘maybe’ option. I’m pretty sure it was yes or no, and we went for ‘no’. It’s strange to put so much pressure on the majority of the population,” added a third person.
Mr Albanese arrived at the Garma Festival, at the ceremonial site in north-east Arnhem Land, on Friday and was guided by members of the Dhalwangu Clan (pictured)
A fourth added: “You have wasted $500m trying to show your virtues – you are a big part of the problem.”
Mr Albanese arrived at the Garma Festival on Friday and was guided around the grounds by members of the Dhalwangu Clan.
The festival is Australia’s largest indigenous gathering and is used to celebrate the life and culture of the Yolngu people.
The Prime Minister joined newly sworn-in Minister for Aboriginal Australia, Malarndirri McCarthy, at the Gulkula site.
In a speech on Saturday, Mr Albanese said his government’s commitment to a “better future for First Nations people” was “stronger than ever”.
“We remain committed to Makarrata, that powerful Yolngu word that was given to the nation. It simply means this: coming together after a struggle,” Albanese told the crowd.
‘Sometimes journalists ask me about Makarrata and I tell them the definition. And I say that surely no one is against the fact that there was a fight.
“And no one can be against the principle that after a fight, people should unite. That’s all it means.”
“We will continue to engage in good faith with leaders and communities to decide what the next steps should be at the national level,” Albanese added.
Mr Albanese explained that his government was committed to tackling the “legacy of dispossession and addressing the realities of disadvantage”.
“My colleagues and I came to Garma to renew our commitment to a better future for First Nations people,” Albanese said.
We will leave here more determined than ever to make it a reality. Let us continue working together for that better future.
However, Albanese later said his government would not pursue a Makarrata Commission, one of the three pillars of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
“That’s not what we’ve proposed,” Albanese told ABC’s Insiders programme at the Garma Festival on Sunday.
‘What we have proposed is that Makarrata is simply the idea of uniting us.
‘Ongoing engagement is what we do when we come together. Now, that may take forms as it evolves… I don’t anticipate it.
‘What it means is listening and respecting First Nations people and then responding.
We know that what we’ve been doing so far, where more than half, or more than two-thirds, tragically, of the Closing the Gap targets are currently not on track to be met.
“We can’t keep doing things the same way. And part of that, of course, involves and must involve listening to the people who are directly affected.”
He said the process for monitoring the treaty and revealing the truth would take “different forms” in the future.
Mr Albanese said his government would not seek a Makarrata commission
He added that states and territories were seeking to conclude separate treaties before and after the referendum and that the government was not planning a truth and justice commission.
“This is happening in stages, and that’s appropriate given that there are different viewpoints and not one homogenous group across the country,” he said.
‘Before the referendum we were not making progress on drafting a national treaty. What was happening was that the states and territories were acting accordingly.
‘With regards to Makarrata, a Yolngu word that simply means to come together after a struggle, I’m a little perplexed that people see it as something complex.
‘Obviously, First Nations people have struggled. That’s why we talk about closing the gap, or what is actually a chasm in some areas.
“And coming together is a principle of walking together, that commitment. It is not a moment in time. It is a process of coming together after the struggle.”
