Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will unveil an economic partnership with Indigenous organisations at the Garma Festival aimed at “a new way of doing business”.
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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