TRANSCRIPT
In the aftermath of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum defeat, there has been renewed focus on paving a path forward.
It's something which has been promoted by those pushing for political change for generations.
Yothu Yindi Foundation Chief Executive Denise Bowden says a crucial part of moving forward is education.
"I feel personally that there's a bit of an education campaign that we all need to put ourselves through. What happens in the Bush is very different from what happens in our cities. However, together as a nation, we should be looking for solutions to move forward together. I think there's goodwill here in our region to commit to building a plan strategically to fix some of these Closing the gap hurdles and challenges that seem to be getting worse."
But on the eve of those discussions beginning at Australia's biggest Indigenous cultural festival , the Garma festival, a grim picture has been painted by the latest Closing the Gap report.
The latest data shows just five of the 19 targets are on track to be met - and four are worsening.
Of particular concern is an increase to the suicide rate, with it being the leading cause of death for Indigenous people aged 15-39 in 2022.
The new Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, says incarceration rates are also worsening and there has been no improvement in the rates of young people in detention.
“We have high rates of suicide as First Nations people, the highest rate of incarceration. I will be reaching across a parliamentary divide to ensure there are some certain areas of Aboriginal affairs where we should be untouched in terms of it being a political football."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the federal government, saying it alone doesn’t hold all responsibility.
“The challenges are there. You cannot resolve intergenerational inequity overnight but what you can do is be committed to making a difference. My government is. Quite clearly governments at all levels have not done good enough in the past but we're committed to working with those communities but also the private sector to make a difference."
Scott Wilson is from the Coalition of Peaks, a group of leading First Nations organisations which has been at the forefront of driving change on Closing the Gap.
“We're in a marathon, not a sprint. And, and I think that as long as we're all on the same page, and all agree to keep moving forward in partnership, which is what's happening, I can say that, you know, in the short period, that the National agreements been in place, things are changing.”
Whether change is happening and if it's fast enough will be central to the discussions at the 24th annual Garma Festival over the next four days [[2-5 august, 2024]]
