DistantNews
Support us
🇦🇺 Australia /Elections & Politics

Leeser says Albanese has 'lost his direction' on Indigenous affairs

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Australia's shadow minister for Indigenous affairs, Julian Leeser, criticizes Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government for lacking direction on Indigenous policy.
  • Leeser argues the government has been "adrift" since the 2023 Voice referendum failure and calls for a renewed focus on education and suicide prevention.
  • He delivered these remarks at the Garma festival, emphasizing his personal commitment to addressing Indigenous issues, including suicide rates, following his father's death.

Australia's shadow minister for Indigenous affairs, Julian Leeser, has sharply criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government, asserting it has lost its way on Indigenous policy. Leeser contends that since the resounding rejection of the Voice referendum in October 2023, the government's approach has been "adrift," lacking a clear plan or purpose for the future of Indigenous Australia.

Since October 2023, the Australian government's policy on Indigenous affairs has been adrift. It has lacked a clear direction and sense of purpose.

— Julian LeeserLeeser's assessment of the government's Indigenous policy following the Voice referendum.

Speaking at the annual Garma festival in north-east Arnhem Land, Leeser outlined his vision, prioritizing education and suicide prevention as key areas for improvement. He directly addressed the Prime Minister's absence from the festival, a significant platform for Indigenous policy debate, stating, "Since the defeat of the Voice he just hasn't gotten off the mat. It is time to get off the mat."

Since the defeat of the Voice he just hasn't gotten off the mat. It is time to get off the mat.

— Julian LeeserCriticism of Prime Minister Albanese's perceived inaction on Indigenous issues after the referendum.

Leeser, who reclaimed the shadow Indigenous Affairs portfolio earlier this year, spoke with personal conviction about the devastating impact of suicide in Indigenous communities. Recounting the loss of his own father to suicide, he described it as a "virus of hopelessness" that has become tragically normalized in too many communities. He stressed that a renewed focus on education, citing the success of Dhupuma Barker College in Arnhem Land, is the "secret sauce" needed to transform Indigenous lives.

I lost my own father to suicide when I was a young man. I have learned that to see a suicide as an act impacting a single individual is not to understand it at all … at times, it becomes a virus of hopelessness.

— Julian LeeserLeeser sharing his personal experience with suicide to highlight its impact on Indigenous communities.

While Leeser's views have sometimes diverged from other party members, such as Senator Jacinta Price, his speech at Garma signals a determined effort to shape the national conversation on Indigenous affairs. He aims to reverse the nation's "woeful" Indigenous suicide rates and believes enhanced educational opportunities are fundamental to achieving this goal.

He pointed to recent success by an independent Arnhem Land school, Dhupuma Barker College, in turning around school attendance rates.

— Julian LeeserLeeser highlighting educational success as a potential solution for Indigenous communities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog