Subjects: Garma 25th anniversary, Economic Empowerment, Closing the Gap, truth telling, treaty.
JOHN PAUL JANKE, NITV: Minister, thanks for joining us today. Can I get your thoughts? The Prime Minister just gave an address here at Garma. He made some new commitments. One of them was $70 million to PBCs to help them sort of get greater traction through the Native Title Act. Why do PBCs need assistance?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY, MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: It's always great to be in Garma. It is an opportunity for our Cabinet and our government to again hear firsthand the issues that matter for First Nations people. It's been a journey, certainly since the referendum and the announcement by the Prime Minister today was really an affirmation of his commitment around economic independence. It is $75 million that's been announced today in regards to the PBCs. One of the things we do here consistently in trying to establish good business across Australia is the impact for First Nations people on not being able to be as resourced as they could be to be able to negotiate, whether it's with big mining companies or big shopping centres or housing developers, or just purely because they themselves, within their clan groups and within their communities, want to develop their own businesses. This will go a long way to assisting in that process.
JOHN PAUL JANKE: I want to talk about Closing the Gap figures. Again, we see worsening Closing the Gap sort of achievements in four targets. They've been getting worse over multiple years, over multiple governments. Doesn't matter what government's in, those figures tend to get worse. What's an elevator pitch? Give me an elevator pitch on how do we actually make change in achieving those targets and helping to close the gap. How do we actually physically do it?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Change is occurring. That's what we probably don't focus on. Change is occurring in places like early childhood, change is occurring in terms of longer life living here, in terms of First Nations people and families and women in particular, there are changes in terms of birthing on country. What we're hearing that impacts us deeply is the justice system isn't changing. And that's what we're going to have to specifically focus on going forward. We don't want to see deaths in custody. It doesn't matter if it's an Aboriginal person or a non-Indigenous person, there should be no deaths in custody, full stop. We have to focus on the fact that there are more Indigenous people though, being incarcerated when they shouldn't be, young people being incarcerated when they could have other options. So, this has to be a laser-like focus for not just the Commonwealth, but for every state and territory government.
JOHN PAUL JANKE: How do we make state and territory governments actually responsible if the figures are getting worse each year?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Well, Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations have said it really simply. Once you empower them, they do have the solutions, but you've got to meet with them and you've got to have respectful meetings with them. Now, if those meetings are not happening and if governments are not listening to them, well, there's your first problem. That's your first problem. And it's what I'm hearing, certainly here in the Northern Territory, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations concerned they're not getting the ear or the respect that they would like to provide the solutions that they have for young people.
JOHN PAUL JANKE: So, what's the role in the federal government in facilitating that conversation? Can you come in with a bigger hammer and say, we need change, we need to talk, we actually need progress on this.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: With the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory, naturally, we fund nearly 80% of the Northern Territory Government's funding and that's not just for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, that's for all of Territory constituents. So, we have to be very responsible in the way that we have our interactions with the Northern Territory Government. I'm hoping to meet with the Chief Minister quite soon to express the views that I have. And they are going to be very direct views that I have and I prefer to hold that until I have that opportunity to meet with her. But in terms of the bigger picture of all states and territories, well of course there are federation funding agreements, the FFAs, if need be. You can see from having at least five of my colleagues in the Cabinet here today, the biggest contingent ever in an Australian Government to actually attend, I need the support of my colleagues to be able to apply the right kind of pressure on their counterparts in every Cabinet in this country. It cannot just be the Indigenous Affairs Ministers’ responsibility.
JOHN PAUL JANKE: Where are we at with a national Makarrata Commission and a progress towards a national treaty?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: I noticed today that Djawa Yunupingu focused specifically on getting away from welfare and focusing on the economy. And we take our lead as well from listening to First Nations people. And we can see from this particular gathering that that is their direction. When I look at what's happening in Victoria with Yoorrook and I see that the Commissioners from Yoorrook are here too, I think it's incredibly important, the work they've done. South Australia is doing something similar and so is New South Wales. And what we want to do at the Commonwealth level is obviously keep a very close eye on what's happening there. But for now, our immediate agenda will be to empower First Nations people through the economy, get into productivity, to move away from poverty.
JOHN PAUL JANKE: Do you think that we will see a commission or a treaty in our lifetime?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: This next step, and we've always remained committed to the principles of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. But this next step has to be about what we're also trying to do and watching what's going on with the states and territories, with their roles on treaty, with their roles in terms of the Yoorrook Commission and the First People's Assembly. I would say watch this space. As Indigenous Australians Minister, I'm quite excited about what I'm seeing. And I would say to those viewers watching this that I do want to see what we can do going forward. But today was just not that day. Today was the day to keep working with the Yolngu in terms of economic empowerment.
JOHN PAUL JANKE: Thank you, Minister, for joining us.