Politics With Michelle Grattan: Pat Turner On Indigenous Empowerment, Closing The Gap, And Future Indigenous Leadership

(MENAFN- The Conversation) Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's address to the weekend Garma festival had a different tone from last year's, when the Voice referendum was approaching. The Prime Minister is resetting policy, moving the focus to the economic empowerment of Indigenous communities as a path to reducing Indigenous disadvantage and“closing the gap”. Indigenous outcomes continue to go backwards for some key closing-the-gap targets.

Albanese said the government would work closely with the Coalition of Peaks, a grouping of more than 80 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations.

Pat Turner is lead convener of the Coalition of Peaks and CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), and she joined the podcast.

On government-subsidised projects, Turner is frustrated companies and investors have been slow to involve local Aboriginal communities.

On increasing Aboriginal employment, Turner says

On reducing incarceration rates, she highlights bail laws,

On the Voice's defeat and the future of Aboriginal leadership, Turner says the loss was“a massive hit to morale across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia”.

Asked to name any leaders of the future she points to Rachel Perkins, one of those prominent in the Voice campaign.

Could she work with Jacinta Price if there were a Coaliton government?

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