CLOSING THE GAP 
SENATE

Monday, 2 March 2026

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E&OE……………

I’m a woman of Warlpiri blood.

And I’m a woman of Celtic blood.

But above all else, I’m an Australian.

And I want to see a country that is united – not divided.

A country where we end Indigenous disadvantage – but also end the retrograde view that disadvantage is synonymous with Indigeneity.

A country where we stop treating each other as blackfellas and whitefellas – and start seeing each other simply as fellow Australians – upholding the spirit of the Voice referendum outcome.

I’ve never been one to hold back in speaking uncomfortable truths.

Real progress comes from a reverence for the truth.

It’s lies, dishonesty, and distortion that inhibit progress and fuel regression.

So, in responding to the Government’s Closing the Gap statement and report, I will again speak uncomfortable truths because I seek progress.

# # #

A mature nation embraces its history in the round – successes and failures alike.

While Prime Minister Rudd’s National Apology to the Stolen Generations didn’t fix things, it was an important moment for our nation.

The ‘Sorry’ in 2008 wasn’t only for the Stolen Generations.

The National Apology was also a national commitment to not forget the sins of the past – and to not repeat them.

That intergenerational commitment must always be maintained.

However, almost 20 years have passed since the National Apology.

And I believe it’s time for something beyond remembering the apology each year.

I believe it’s time for Indigenous forgiveness.

The act of forgiving is not to forget the tragic past.

Rather, it’s a means for our nation to move beyond the tragic past – and no longer be its prisoner.

Indigenous activists would prefer that Australians atone forevermore for our forebear’s mistakes.

That suits their political agenda of reparations and segregation – driven, as they are, by retribution and resentment.

But if we instil in future generations of Australians a default setting of national guilt, then we undermine the national pride that underpins national endeavour.

Accordingly, forgiveness is not only essential for the cause of reconciliation.

Forgiveness also helps to nurture the love of country that’s necessary for a strong, prosperous, and united nation.

# # #

On the matter of Indigenous disadvantage, uncomfortable truths must be spoken too.

Indigenous activists peddle the poisonous idea that every person of Indigenous heritage is a victim of British colonisation.

The activists’ goals are threefold:

First: to rewrite our history in the most hostile, unforgiving and unbalanced manner imaginable to demonise British settlement in its entirety.

Second: to give false legitimacy to the notion of intergenerational victimhood.

And third: to use that intergenerational victimhood as a means for financial and land settlements concealed in the sweet-sounding phrases of ‘truth-telling’ and ‘treaty making’.

The most perverse parts of the activists’ propaganda are the denial of reality and the negation of individual agency.

All around this country – especially in our cities – you will find Indigenous Australians – and Australians with Indigenous heritage – who are doing well and even thriving.

Indeed, many are doing better than Australians without Indigenous heritage.

In 21^st century Australia, race doesn’t define disadvantage.

To suggest otherwise is to perpetuate a dangerous activist myth – a myth we must bust.

None of this is to deny that many Indigenous Australians experience profound disadvantage.

Nor is it to deny the hardships and troubles that afflict many Indigenous communities.

But if we’re going to address Indigenous disadvantage – especially where it exists in remote and regional parts of Australia – we need to be upfront about Indigenous culture.

There are aspects of traditional Indigenous culture for which we can be proud – such as the way our ancestors cared for the land.

There are aspects of traditional Indigenous culture worth remembering and preserving – like Jukurrpa – the Dreaming.

But there are regressive aspects of traditional Indigenous culture that still exist.

Today, there are Indigenous men who still see women as inferior, who treat women as possessions, and who believe that beating a woman is acceptable behaviour.

These regressive aspects of traditional culture must be expunged from Indigenous communities today.

But they won’t be while those in positions of power continue to turn a blind eye to all manner of sins.

Moreover, there are leaders sitting on Indigenous bodies today with a history of violent offending.

The Albanese Government and the Minister for Indigenous Australians know these individuals are not fit and proper to hold leadership positions.

And yet, the Government blocks enquiries and refuses to use its powers to remove these individuals.

Frankly, this wilful blindness is a disgrace.

When we speak of Closing the Gap, one reason the gap hasn’t been closed is due to a political class that romanticises traditional culture.

That romanticisation is putting a forcefield around the most objectionable and violent behaviours that are at the very heart of Indigenous disadvantage.

Is it any wonder that in the latest Closing the Gap Report, only four of 19 targets are on track.

Tragically, more children are in out-of-home care.

Suicide remains a significant problem.

And there’s still too much Aboriginal-on-Aboriginal violence.

If those objectionable and violent behaviours of traditional culture are rooted out of communities, it will go a long way to reducing violence and crime.

Addressing violence and crime is critical.

When the violence and crime stop, we start getting safe and stable communities.

And when we get stable and safe communities, families stay in homes, children stay in school, adults stay in work, and people stay healthy.

# # #

Closing the gap also requires speaking uncomfortable truths about the need to reject the racism of low expectations.

An excessive fixation on the historic injustices committed against Indigenous Australians hasn’t only instilled an undue sense of national guilt.

It’s made our nation paternalistic towards Indigenous Australians.

The Aboriginal Land Rights Act came into effect in 1976.

There were good intentions behind it:

To give traditional Indigenous owners of the Northern Territory not only greater ownership of their land – but control over their land too.

Land councils were established to hold lands in trust – and to preside over the use of those lands through leases, licences, and agreements.

Today, some 50 per cent of the Northern Territory is owned by Indigenous Australians.

And yet, it’s incredibly difficult for them to use this land for economic purposes.

Indigenous Australians in the Territory are land rich – but dirt poor.

The land councils are not functioning as they were intended.

And it’s why – over many years – I’ve repeatedly called for the Aboriginal Land Rights Act to be reviewed and modernised.

It’s why – over many years – I’ve called for inquiries into Indigenous spending.

My calls speak to a broader point about Closing the Gap.

We must do away with the notions of victimhood and paternalism that sit at the centre of too many laws, too many government policies, and too many bureaucratic processes.

We must give Indigenous Australians the individual agency that all humans crave.

As masters of their fate and captains of their souls, many more Indigenous Australians in remote and regional parts of Australia will start new ventures, join new enterprises, and unlock multigenerational wealth.

Their success, or their failure, will be up to them – as it is should be; as it is for everyone else.

If we want to Close the Gap, it’s time to stop ring-fencing people based on race.

It’s time to let people stand on their own two feet.

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