I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
I acknowledge our outstanding Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator McCarthy.
Together with First Nations Members and Senators, from across our Parliament.
We all join in welcoming members of the Stolen Generations and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders here in the Chamber today.
You enhance this place with your presence.
I know that since the alleged terrorist attack in Perth, many of you have been providing comfort to people grappling with shock and fear.
People imagining how much worse things could have been.
I want to reaffirm what I said here last week, on behalf of the Government and the people of Australia.
We see you. We stand with you.
The danger of that alleged attack was real – and so was the racism and hatred behind it, motivated by a white supremacy ideology.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the right to gather and express their views, without fear of violence.
More than that, you have the right to a full and equal place in our nation and our future.
Unburdened by discrimination or disadvantage.
Empowered by opportunity and security.
That is the test – and the purpose – of Closing the Gap.
Mr Speaker
As Prime Minister, I have the honour of presenting the Australian of the Year Awards.
The 2026 Local Hero is Frank Mitchell, a Whadjuk-Yued Noongar man, from Western Australia.
In his acceptance speech, Frank reflected on a low point in his life: isolated in a small community, under pressure as a single dad and grieving the deaths of two close mates, when his uncle offered him a lifeline: a mature-age electrical apprenticeship.
Frank said:
“I now understand that work and education are not just about income or career progression.
They are determinants of health and wellbeing.
Completing my electrical apprenticeship gave me pride, hope, and stability.
It gave me the foundation to provide for my family and to grow into a leader within my community.”
Today, Frank is a partner in four companies in the construction industry.
They have created 30 electrical apprenticeships for Indigenous Australians and a further 40 upskilling roles.
And awarded $11 million in work to other Aboriginal subcontractors.
Frank modestly says he is just one success story among many.
Yet his story tells us so much about the work of Closing the Gap.
First, it reminds us that everything is connected.
Your health and education, your home and your job - that shapes who you are as a parent, your place in your community, the goals you set and the choices you have.
Second, Frank’s story proves that one lifeline, one moment when someone recognises your potential and backs it, can change everything.
Sometimes when we talk about Closing the Gap, we can be guilty of focusing on that first idea at the expense of the second.
The challenges facing us are significant, complex and connected, with causes that reach back generations.
But that does not render us powerless - it makes each act of change powerful.
It means progress towards one target, will drive improvement in others.
Since July 2022, more than 850 new homes have been built in remote communities.
This reduces overcrowding – a target where we are seeing improvement.
But we understand that a secure roof over your head is also a stable foundation: for family, school, study and work.
Building more homes creates local jobs and apprenticeships in construction.
It drives better health outcomes.
And it makes communities safer.
In health, we are upgrading over 100 services - from maternal health to mental health, from remote Australia to our cities.
Many of these clinics had not seen a dollar of new investment for decades.
Today, I announce we will provide a further $144 million to upgrade dozens more services.
And, as part of the historic hospital funding agreement we secured at National Cabinet this month, we will deliver a joint $450 million boost to Indigenous Health.
Health is an area where the Coalition of Peaks has worked for years to drive a change in government’s approach.
Now all levels of government will work together to see this funding deliver a change in outcomes.
This time last year, I outlined our plan to reduce the cost of 30 essential items in 76 community stores.
So household staples like flour, cereal, pasta, even nappies and toothpaste are tied to city prices.
And – importantly - investing in supply chains as well, so these items are actually on the shelves in remote communities.
We have already expanded the success of that program to 113 stores across the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
Today, I announce we will guarantee the reduced price of these 30 essentials is available in all 225 remote stores around Australia.
We will also fund upgrades for storage in 75 stores to keep stock fresh when the wet season makes transport difficult.
We all know what it means to be able to put healthy food on the table.
The difference it makes for mums expecting a baby, for a child’s health and growth, even for their ability to concentrate at school.
And that same multiplier effect is true for water too.
As of today, 40 clean water projects are either underway – or complete.
Delivering for around 34,000 people in 110 communities.
For most Australians, drinkable water sounds like the most basic thing.
But it is everything.
It keeps communities together – and connected to their land.
It keeps schools open.
It means health clinics can perform dialysis, on country.
Mr Speaker
Closing the Gap is a national test, a generational task, a moral imperative.
But it is one we measure in these tangible outcomes.
That is why listen to communities.
Invest in co-design.
Trust in the Coalition of Peaks, led with such passion by Pat Turner AM – represented here today by Catherine Liddle and Scott Wilson.
And partner with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
We built on that on Tuesday this week, when Minister McCarthy and Minister Plibersek launched Our Ways, Strong Ways, Our Voices.
The first standalone plan to end violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.
Mr Speaker
We are now 5 years away from most of the target deadlines.
We are clear about where there is more to do.
We must also guard against talk of failure.
Because talk of failure dismisses the aspirations and achievements of Indigenous Australians.
It ignores the leaders and communities who are changing lives.
Failure is a word for those who have stopped trying - or given up listening.
I make this clear today: I am not contemplating failure.
Our Government is not contemplating failure.
We are determined to succeed.
The Closing the Gap targets are a measure of our national progress.
And there is real progress.
Four targets are on track.
And based on progress to date, later this year we expect confirmation that the target of 95 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in preschool has been achieved.
A further six targets are improving.
And that number is based on the national average.
Different states and territories are performing better on different outcomes, even in some of the more challenging areas.
New South Wales, the Northern Territory and ACT are improving when it comes to children in out of home care.
While Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia have made significant progress in reducing youth detention.
However, there are 4 areas where progress is stalled, or going backwards.
The most urgent is suicide.
Suicide shatters families, it tears apart communities.
So often amidst the grief, loved ones return to the heartbreaking question: how did it come to this?
Compared to non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are two and a half times more likely to die by suicide.
As a matter of priority, our Government will deliver $13.9 million to boost the national support line, 13 YARN.
A crisis counselling service designed, led and delivered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, they offer:
“No shame, no judgement, a safe place to yarn.”
We understand the suicide rate among Indigenous Australians includes a number of deaths in custody.
Thirty-five years after that historic Royal Commission, the hard truth is that no government from either side of politics has done enough.
The primary responsibility for law enforcement and detention rests with State and Territory Governments - and they have every right to put the safety of their communities first.
No-one is making excuses for crime.
But we cannot ignore its causes.
That is why our Government is investing in prevention, not just punishment - particularly for young people.
Because we know justice reinvestment works.
When communities are empowered to take responsibility, to provide structure and support and put young people back on the right track.
The individual rates of re-offending drop - and the crime rate falls too.
Communities are safer, families are safer.
No-one should grow up imagining that prison is a rite of passage.
And as a society, our definition of justice must be measured by more than the capacity of our jails.
Mr Speaker
Our government’s approach to Closing the Gap begins with the building blocks of a good life.
And it is driven by economic empowerment.
Breaking down barriers to wealth creation.
Nourishing aspiration and rewarding hard work.
The self-determination that flows from financial security, from having a stake in the economy.
This is less about what government can do with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It is about the success Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are achieving for themselves.
Because we do not need to create a new culture of innovation or aspiration among Indigenous Australians.
That culture is over 65,000 years old.
In energy and construction, tourism and fashion, hospitality and technology, Indigenous Businesses are winning awards – and creating jobs.
Indeed, they are between 40 and 100 times more likely to employ Indigenous Australians.
We are boosting the financing capacity of Indigenous Business Australia – backing more entrepreneurs to get their great ideas off the ground.
And in that spirit, we are working to ensure communities can unlock the wealth of their land.
We are on track to achieve the two Closing the Gap targets for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ access to their land and waters.
And we want land to be a basis for prosperity and economic sovereignty, not a barrier to it.
This is why we are investing $75 million to reform Prescribed Bodies Corporate and Native Title Organisations and empower them as economic decision-makers.
Dealing direct with government investment vehicles like the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund.
And private capital, particularly in the resources and clean energy sector - securing new projects and creating new jobs.
Our Government values the security and opportunity that a good job provides - and we respect the dignity of work.
That is why we promised to abolish the failed CDP – and we have.
Our Remote Jobs and Economic Development program has already supported over 1,500 new jobs.
Today I announce that by 2027 we will double that number.
And by 2030 we will double it again.
Six thousand new jobs - paying real wages and bringing new pride and purpose to people’s lives.
That goes together with the 900 new jobs created through expanding Indigenous Rangers.
A program that draws on the wisdom of a thousand generations to preserve our environment for the future.
Mr Speaker
As a Labor Government, we know economic empowerment begins with education.
Early childhood.
Fully funding every government school.
And expanding horizons through university and TAFE.
The last four years prove that when those opportunities are in reach – Indigenous Australians will grab them with both hands.
In 2022, we promised to train 500 First Nations health workers.
More than 580 have enrolled so far – and 162 have already graduated.
And in the last three years, over 40,000Indigenous students have benefited from Free TAFE.
Now, we are taking that success on the road.
New Mobile TAFE utes and trailers will deliver training, on country.
So locals have the skills and qualifications to build new homes, connect new energy, secure clean water and deliver the health care their communities need.
Tomorrow, in the Great Hall, we will gather to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations.
Sitting behind Prime Minister Rudd that day, I remember looking up to the gallery.
Seeing the tears and quiet pride on the faces of those who had fought so bravely and for so long to hear those words.
The survivors who honoured us with their grace, by accepting the Apology in the spirit it was offered.
The Apology was an honest reckoning with our history.
A call to action for our future.
And a profound act of patriotism, true to the best of our values.
Mr Speaker
By global standards, our 125 years of Federation makes us an old democracy.
In the full sweep of Australian history, it is the blink of an eye.
Today, we celebrate that truth as a source of national pride – and we are all enriched by it.
Because every time we open our minds to the wisdom and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, every time we break down barriers of racism, or disadvantage, every time we broaden the circle of Australian opportunity and deepen the meaning of the fair go - we are all stronger for it.
Our nation is better and more united for it.
That is the determination and the optimism we bring to this partnership.
Together, we will succeed.