Albanese criticises ‘dry gully' of culture wars as he promises more funding to close Indigenous gap
The prime minister will use a major speech to the Garma festival in north-east Arnhem Land on Saturday to promise delivery of the economic sovereignty fundamental to self-determination for First Nations communities, including through $75m in new funding to help native title holders secure better deals and faster project approvals.
Ahead of the second anniversary later this year of the defeat of the voice to parliament referendum, Albanese will also announce mobile Tafe programs and a new economic partnership with leading Indigenous organisations.
'Reports and reviews have their place, but they are not a substitute for results,' Albanese will tell the annual event on Yolngu land.
'Creating a process matters, but it is not the same thing as making progress.
'Delivery is the standard by which all of us must measure ourselves. Across every level of government, in the public service and in organisations and services entrusted by community.'
Labor will spend $31m on a mobile Tafe program for Indigenous communities, set to be run from utes and trailers. The program will help train mechanics, carpenters, plumbers and new workers for the Aboriginal community controlled sector.
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The government will also make available $70m in funding for First Nations clean energy projects, creating jobs and reducing dependency on diesel generators in remote areas.
Albanese will tell festival attenders the government's plan for delivering better Indigenous services is about repaying and building trust, pushing back on the Coalition's moves to highlight wasteful spending and problematic programs.
'Culture wars are a dry gully. They offer us nothing, they lead us nowhere,' he will say.
'The way forward is to invest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, trust in their aspirations and draw from their knowledge.'
Albanese will address the festival a day after the architects of the Uluru statement criticised Labor for a 'performative' approach to Indigenous affairs.
The Uluru Dialogue co-chairs Megan Davis and Pat Anderson accused the government of allowing progress on closing the disadvantage gap to stagnate and go backwards.
'Enough is enough,' they said in a statement.
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'Our children are being locked up, our elders are dying, and our people are continuing to live in a country where their rights are neglected.'
This week the latest Closing the Gap data showed key targets, including on imprisonment rates, children in out-of-home care, suicide and childhood development continuing to worsen.
Just four of 19 measures are currently on track to be met.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, will visit the north-west Western Australia communities of Wyndham and Kununurra on Saturday, part of a four-day tour meeting Indigenous organisations, leaders and communities across the Kimberley region. She is set to be joined by the shadow Indigenous Australians minister, Kerrynne Liddle.
Ley accused Albanese of stepping back from Indigenous affairs since the October 2023 referendum was defeated.
'It is not good enough to just give speeches at festivals, we need to see his plan,' she said.
'The prime minister traded in the politics of hope and made a number of promises to Indigenous Australians. On many measures these are promises he has not delivered.'
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