PM to set sights on closing the gap in festival speech
Mr Albanese is expected to use his speech at the festival in Arnhem Land to announce the economic partnership with the Coalition of the Peaks, following the release of Closing the Gap data Indigenous organisations have labelled "unacceptable".
"This builds on our commitment to the Closing the Gap Agreement, to its call for a new way of doing business and to the principle of shared decision-making," Mr Albanese will say on Saturday.
The approach would allow Traditional Owners to advocate for infrastructure, housing and energy projects on their land and to build equity beyond the land itself.
It would empower Indigenous groups to engage with business and the private sector, encouraging partnerships with private capital and institutional investors from the outset.
"So companies and communities can come to government as partners, putting forward projects that are ready to go," Mr Albanese will say.
Closing the Gap has been a topic of discussion at the Garma Festival, which has become a ground for political conversations and policy announcements while also focusing on culture and empowerment of the local Yolngu people.
The data, released on Thursday, revealed just four of 19 targets are on track to be met, with another four goals going backwards - adult incarceration, children in out-of-home care, suicide rates and child development.
When he delivers his keynote address on Saturday, Mr Albanese will say Closing the Gap data has underlined that a different, dedicated approach is required to address these issues.
"Reports and reviews have their place, but they are not a substitute for results," he will say.
"Creating a process matters but it is not the same thing as making progress."
Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley will not attend the four-day festival and will instead be in Western Australia's Kimberley region.
Ms Ley will visit Indigenous and community organisations in Wyndham and Kununurra on Saturday.
She said Mr Albanese's speech should be used to outline his plan for First Nations people.
"Anthony Albanese's speech to Garma is an opportunity for him to provide some clarity," she said.
"He has a personal obligation to explain to Indigenous Australians what his plan is to turn around the widening gap."
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"People suffer because of these failures of governance that are imposed upon us." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 Political leaders have been warned their attendance at one of Australia's largest cultural festivals is not enough to make progress for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Speaking at the annual Garma Festival at Gulkula, in northeast Arnhem Land, to a crowd that included several senior ministers and the prime minister, Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden said their presence was a powerful signal. "But don't leave Garma and leave things on endless repeat," she said. "Don't be here to think your attendance here is enough." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used his time at Garma to announce an economic partnership with Indigenous organisations, which he said built on Closing the Gap commitments and would empower communities to advocate for infrastructure on their lands. 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Ms Bowden said the status quo was not acceptable, with recent Closing the Gap statistics showing four targets going backwards - adult incarceration, children in out-of-home care, suicide rates and child development. She said the Yothu Yindi Foundation had long argued the Closing the Gap data reflected a fundamental failure in Australia's governance systems, and that must change to make a real difference. "There are good intentions and what is described as hard work, but without crunching systemic change, there will be no betterment," she said. "People suffer because of these failures of governance that are imposed upon us." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
