The Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, has congratulated the winners of the 2025 NAIDOC Awards.

The winners were announced tonight at the National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony in Perth, ahead of NAIDOC Week celebrations across the country.

This year marks 50 years of NAIDOC Week celebrations, this year’s NAIDOC Week theme is The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy.

The NAIDOC Awards recognise individual excellence and celebrate the strength, culture and leadership of First Nations people.

It is wonderful to join the Traditional Owners here this morning.

I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and also acknowledge the sad news of the passing of a loved one and probably so many as well in the years that Gunlom has been closed.

I'd like to firstly acknowledge the Traditional Owners, in particular the fact that we are gathered on Jawoyn Country, the Bolmo, Matjba and Wurkbarbar clans.

I thank the Traditional Owners from the bottom of my heart for the way you've been able to walk forward but also stand strong.

Thank you to the Regional Capitals Alliance of Western Australia and the Kimberley Regional Group for inviting me today. This is my third year presenting to this forum. As a ‘sometimes’ guitarist, I know you do not usually get an encore unless your last performance was somewhat decent!

And as a proud West Australian and a Parliamentarian it is great to be here and to again have an opportunity to speak to you about the Albanese Government’s commitment to our regions.

One of the Northern Territory’s most popular tourist destinations and one of Kakadu National Park’s most culturally significant sites - Gunlom Falls - has re-opened to the public.

From today, the public can once again access the iconic waterfalls, stunning natural waterholes, walking tracks and campground.

Thousands of visitors to Kakadu are expected to visit Gunlom Falls during the Top End’s peak tourism season.

The Albanese Labor Government is delivering on its commitment to help ease cost of living pressures in remote First Nations communities, with a new subsidy scheme for food and essential items starting today.

From rice and tinned vegetables to nappies and toilet paper, the cost of 30 everyday essential items will be reduced so they are comparable to supermarket prices in urban areas.

The scheme is aimed at reducing the cost of living and the high rates of food insecurity experienced in remote communities.

TOM CONNELL, HOST: Joining me, the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman. Former Liberal Member for Mackellar, Jason Falinski. Thanks both, for your time. So this warning from the Chinese ambassador, Patrick, is it fair to say when the ambassador for this super powerful country that's getting a foothold in your region, says 'don't spend more on defence' - you should definitely spend more on defence?

Eligible organisations are now invited to apply for funding to assist job seekers in remote communities through the Albanese Labor Government’s new Remote Australia Employment Service (RAES).

The new employment service will replace the Community Development Program (CDP) from 1 November this year.

RAES will allow communities to have a greater say in locally tailored solutions for job-readiness and better equip providers to support people living in remote communities to develop their skills and connect with work.

Free activities are available for children and young people in Alice Springs and remote communities in Central Australia for the winter school holidays.

The activities are funded by the Albanese Labor Government’s $3.2 million investment to support school holiday programs in Central Australia over two years.

From sport to music production workshops, the wide range of activities on offer provide young people the opportunity to connect with their peers while staying active and exploring new skills.

TOM CONNELL, HOST: Joining me now for more on this, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman, and former Liberal MP for Mackellar, Jason Falinski. Thank you both for your time. Look, impossible to ignore this line again and again and again. I might actually play it here for our viewers, because Anthony Albanese was asked things along the lines of when Australia knew? Was Pine Gap used? Was there any element we helped the US in terms of intelligence? This was the response we got:

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Senator for the ACT and Minister for Women Katy Gallagher has today launched the Safe. Everywhere. Always. Canberra community survey, asking Canberra women and girls to share their experiences and ideas for change when it comes to women’s public safety in the national capital. 

It comes just weeks after hundreds of locals took a stand against violence against women by walking the Mulligan’s Flat Nature Reserve bushwalk together, where a woman was allegedly attacked by a teenage boy just days earlier.