Anthony Albanese says the government is still considering Makarrata

The government has made little comment on truth and treaty since the Voice's defeat, but the prime minister says it's still under discussion.

GARMA FESTIVAL 2023

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he will return to Garma festival in August, where he will discuss the path forward for the Uluru Statement. Credit: MICK TSIKAS/AAPIMAGE

The prime minister has said the establishment of a commission to implement and oversee a truth and treaty process is still on the government's agenda.

Since the defeat of the Voice to Parliament in October last year, Labor has been muted on its plan to move forward with the Statement's other elements.
Speaking over the weekend, Anthony Albanese attempted to allay fears that he had abandoned his election night commitment to enact the Uluru Statement "in full".

“Treaty process is undergoing at the various states and that’s appropriate," he told a Guardian podcast.

"With regard to Makarrata, we’re continuing to consult on those issues."

It comes despite last month's budget showing a reappraisal of funding commitments by the government, namely the reallocation of funding for local Voices and the Treasurer's confirmation that money earmarked for Makarrata would be used on Closing the Gap measures.
Albanese also confirmed he would be attending , and that he would be open to discussing the government's next moves in the wake of the referendum's defeat.

“Indigenous leaders, of course, were very disappointed by the referendum result,' he said.

"I’ll attend Garma once again this year and sit down with people and talk about a way forward.

"One of the things that we wanted to do, the whole point of the Voice, was listening to people in communities, rather than people in Canberra making decisions going forward, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

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Published 17 June 2024 10:35am
By Dan Butler
Source: NITV


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