CHRIS MITCHELL, HOST: We've been hearing a lot from the Productivity Commission saying government's commitment to the agreement, that closing the gap agreement has been weak, contradictory, uncoordinated, and slow, among other things. Joining us now live on the program, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians. Hello to you and thanks for joining us. It is pretty scathing. What's your reaction.
MALARNDIRRI MCCARTHY: Yes, absolutely. Well, firstly, I do want to say to the commissioners, thank you for your report. This is the first in three years in terms of being able to keep an eye across what is going on between the indigenous organizations and the indigenous sector and governments across Australia. That's an incredibly critical role. I would say that we've just received the report, so we will certainly be going through it as the Albanese Government. But if I can just reach out to listeners on this one, Chris. We understood certainly through last year, as we campaigned for the referendum, that there had to be systemic change at state and territory levels. And that's why we pushed for the referendum on the advice of First Nations people. And we recognized that the country didn't accept that. And so, naturally, this report is not really a surprise to us.
MITCHELL: It was just under a year ago, wasn't it, when the Albanese government renewed the former coalition government's revamped national agreement on closing the gap. Lot of renewing and revamping, is any of it being effective or is it just words?
MCCARTHY: Well, clearly there is so much we have to continue to do. The urgency was there prior to the referendum. It continues to be there. I hold the portfolio area of indigenous health and certainly am focused on making sure that we are rolling out and delivering in the areas of renal disease and kidney chairs for renal patients in communities across Australia. Yesterday I met with the Aboriginal community health sector. We've got over 140 Aboriginal community health organizations across the country. And we have to ensure that now that we can't have the voice in terms of the constitutional change that was requested, we have to ensure that the systemic change does occur in other ways.
MITCHELL: Yeah. Just looking at the recommendations from the Productivity Commission, I mean, it suggests, and we're just not just talking about federal government here. We're talking about governments.
MCCARTHY: Oh, absolutely.
MITCHELL: Yeah... it should share power with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organizations. I mean, I have to say this does sound a lot like the Voice to Parliament, which we've been through, and you failed to get it across the line. So how frustrating is this? What do you do?
MCCARTHY: We certainly know that, taking it to the Australian people was a critical step to get that support for systemic change. In our Parliament, in particular the federal parliament, that didn't occur. So, what we have to do now is, ensure that the current systems that are in place, can be impacted in other ways. And that means, for example, what's happening in the Aboriginal community health sector. We have to continue to resource and support them and empower them to continue. And we can use that model in the other areas, whether it's with the Ranger programs, whether it's with education programs, whether it's with art programs, we know we have to look at all those things. But the Prime Minister will give a response next week with the Apology and the close the gap response to the Parliament. But we are mindful of the fact that, First Nations people, no doubt feel deeply frustrated.
MITCHELL: Now, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, he wanted the voice to get across the line, of course, but there is criticism. Not that it failed to happen, but more of what was plan B? It didn't get across the line. So, what happens next. People are saying there's been a void thereafter.
MCCARTHY: Well, I'd like to just remind your listeners that this was the important plan, it was to win the referendum. And the reason for that was so that we could change and have systemic change in our parliaments across the country to enable First Nations people to speak and have their voices influence policy. Now, the Australian people said 'no' to that. So, when they say no to that, it means that the status quo stays the same. What we have to do now and the challenge for certainly myself and my colleagues in the Albanese government, is to ensure that our particular ministries that we have- that we try and encourage that change in other ways.
MITCHELL: Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, just reacting to that Productivity Commission report, on the closing the gap, the status of it.