Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government’s resolve to work with Indigenous Australians is now “as strong as ever” following the failed Voice to Parliament referendum.
He said he was full of optimism about the future as he headed to the Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures in Gulkula, northeast Arnhem Land, on Saturday.
Albanese acknowledged that “the pain is still there” after The Voice, but said he had not returned to Garma to “talk about what could have been” but because his “optimism for a better future still burns.”
“My belief in the resilience and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remains strong,” she said.
‘And because the destiny we seek, the Australia we envision: more united, more reconciled, more trusting and more equal, this nation remains within our reach.’
The Prime Minister said his government “campaigned on conviction, not convenience” and worked alongside many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to achieve Voice.
“Together we gave it our all and fell short,” he said.
Despite the defeat, Mr Albanese said he believes Australia can still close the gap and address “the realities of disadvantage”.
Anthony Albanese said aspirations for a better future for Aboriginal Australians “didn’t end last October” during his speech at the Garma Festival on Saturday. Photo: Leicolhn McKellar via NewsWire
“These aspirations for a better future did not end last October,” he said.
“Nor is the respect, understanding and cooperation that will get us there.”
He said the government would continue to seek advice from indigenous communities because of the “simple truth” that no government, prime minister or parliament “has all the answers”.
“My colleagues and I do not claim to have discovered them now,” he said.
“Instead, we want to work with you, with new ambition, energy and determination, to find a new way forward.”
Albanese acknowledged that “the pain is still there” after The Voice, but said he had not returned to Garma to “talk about what could have been” but because his “optimism for a better future still burns.”
In his address to the country’s largest indigenous cultural gathering, the Prime Minister announced that the government will invest $20 million from the Aboriginal Benefits Account to build a new tertiary and vocational education centre.
Speaking at the country’s largest indigenous cultural gathering, the Prime Minister announced that the government will invest $20 million from the Aboriginal Benefits Account to build a new vocational and further education centre.
The Garma Institute will become owned and managed by the Yolngu people following a new partnership agreement with the Northern Territory Government and the Yothu Yindi Foundation.
“You are more than just curators or custodians, you are the traditional owners, who have cared for the land and waters for 60,000 years and more,” Albanese said.
“And we want you to own your future, built on a foundation of economic empowerment.”
The government is also investing $109 million in new money into First Nations justice programs nationally, as well as funding three new dialysis clinics on Badu Island in the Torres Strait, in the Pilbara and in the Western Desert.
More clinics will be opened in Yalata, Balgo, Harts Range, Ti-Tree and Borroloola to help communities combat health issues such as chronic kidney disease, which is four times more likely to be fatal among Indigenous communities and twice as common.
The government is also investing $109 million in new money into First Nations justice programs nationally, as well as funding three new dialysis clinics on Badu Island in the Torres Strait, in the Pilbara and in the Western Desert. Photo: Leicolhn McKellar via NewsWire
The Garma Institute will become owned and operated by the Yolngu people following a new partnership agreement with the Northern Territory Government and the Yothu Yindi Foundation.
“At its core, this is about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people having an equal right to a good life for themselves and their children,” Albanese said.
‘A healthy family, a safe home, a good education that opens the way to a rewarding job.’
“It is nothing less than what every Australian deserves” and yet “it is far removed from reality” for many indigenous people, the Prime Minister accepted.
“That truth hurts a lot in a country that has always considered itself the home of fair play,” he said.
No one can defend gaps in health outcomes, education, justice and opportunity as “inevitable or acceptable,” because “they are not,” Mr. Albanese continued.
“No one can credibly argue that recognition of the great privilege of sharing this continent with the world’s oldest continuous culture should not be reflected in our nation’s founding document,” he said.
No one can deny that Australia can simply continue doing the same thing. It is not.
Mr Albanese said he had visited Garma to renew his government’s commitment to a better future for First Nations people.
“No one can pretend that maintaining the same approach will bring about the progress our nation needs. It won’t.
‘To make a significant difference in the lives of First Nations people, governments must be prepared to make significant changes to the way we do things.’
Mr Albanese said he had visited Garma to renew his government’s commitment to a better future for First Nations people.
“We will leave here more determined than ever to make it a reality,” he said.
‘So, with new urgency, new purpose and new cooperation.
Let’s work together to achieve new successes.