PM discards commitment to set up Makarrata body despite millions in funding
In short:
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the ABC the government was not proposing a Makarrata commission to lead truth-telling about First Nations history.
A Makarrata commission had been an election promise and the government had allocated $5.8 million towards its establishment.
Dean Parkin, a key figure behind the Uluru Statement, said the statement was "very clear" about the need for a commission and the government's promise remained "outstanding".
The federal government does not intend to create a national commission to lead "truth-telling" about First Nations history, departing from its pre-election promise to do so.
A Makarrata commission, named after a Yolŋu word for coming together after a struggle, is the "culmination" of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Its intended purpose is to oversee both truth-telling and treaty-making between governments and First Nations.
But despite an election night promise to enact the statement in "full", and budget funding to establish a Makarrata commission, the government's enthusiasm for a commission had cooled by the time of the failed Voice referendum and its status has been unclear.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appeared to drop the commitment to the commission by denying it had ever been made.
"That's not what we have proposed," he told the ABC's Insiders program during an interview at the Garma Festival.
"What we've proposed is Makarrata just being the idea of coming together."
Funding allocated to Makarrata establishment
But a standalone Makarrata commission was part of Labor's costed policy platform prior to the federal election, and in its first budget the Albanese government allocated $5.8 million to its establishment.
That funding was meant "to commence work on establishing an independent Makarrata commission to oversee processes for agreement making and truth-telling".
The PM confirmed that intention in a radio interview in the Torres Strait in August 2022, saying a Makarrata commission would "of course" feed into a truth-telling process.
And in an interview on Insiders at Garma in August 2023, he said the funding was "about establishing a structure [for the commission], which will happen".
But in downplaying the need for a commission on Sunday, Mr Albanese insisted he had not changed his position.
"Makarrata [is] a Yolŋu word that simply means coming together after a struggle," he said.
"I'm somewhat perplexed at why people see that as being complex."
He added truth-telling meant "engaging with land councils … engaging with Native Title tribunals … [and] engaging with First Nations".
"Now that might take forms as it evolves … I don't pre-empt it. What it means is listening to and respecting First Nations people and then responding."
Anthony Albanese said Makarrata required "listening to and respecting First Nations people and then responding". (ABC News: Che Chorley)
Makarrata more than 'fuzzy language'
Dean Parkin, who was heavily involved in the Uluru Statement and the referendum campaign, said the statement was "very clear" about the need for a commission.
"That was the election night commitment, it was to the full implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and [it] is very, very clear on that point," he said.
"The first element of the commitment has been carried through, the prime minister has been true to his word on that, and we would say that the remainder of the Uluru Statement from the Heart is outstanding, and it does involve a commission."
Katie Kiss, the newly appointed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice commissioner, told the ABC a Makarrata commission was "necessary".
"Makarrata is about coming together, but also about the rules of engagement and how we work in partnership to achieve the practical outcomes that people keep saying they want to achieve," she said.
"I think while it's all nice and fuzzy language about coming together, it needs to be much more than that."
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has ruled out pursuing truth-telling in any form.
"Under a government I lead, there will be no Makarrata and there will be no revisiting of truth-telling," he said on Friday.
"We're not spending money on Makarrata, but we are spending money and making sure it's spent wisely on the practical outcomes in schools, in health services, and in housing."
On Sunday, he accused Mr Albanese of "talking out of both sides of his mouth."
"What's the money in the budget for? What is his position?
"The prime minister is treating people like he did with the Voice, starving them of detail."