Since the Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023, the Indigenous Affairs portfolio has not featured prominently in policy debates at the national level.
Author
- Bartholomew Stanford
Senior Lecturer of Indigenous Studies, Indigenous Education and Research Centre, James Cook University
As the election campaign continues, there's yet to be much substantive discussion about how to improve the lives of First Nations people.
But what do we know about Indigenous policy under a continuing Albanese Labor government, or a new one led by Peter Dutton?
And more importantly, what does the evidence suggest the government, regardless of persuasion, should do with the Indigenous Affairs portfolio and areas where Indigenous policy needs reform to meet international standards?
What's happened since the referendum?
The government has all but walked away from the Uluru Statement from the Heart since the referendum.
The statement was the result of unprecedented, widespread consultation with Indigenous people nationwide in 2016 and 2017.
Anthony Albanese committed to implementing the statement in full. It includes two other principles in addition to the Voice to Parliament: a Truth-Telling Commission and Treaty.
But the government appears to have no appetite for these matters at the moment. The failure of the referendum is also something the prime minister would likely want to distance his government from in the re-election bid.
After the referendum in October 2023, the government made a significant change in direction from Indigenous rights to economic initiatives for Indigenous communities. In December of that year, the government began public consultations to investigate how to strengthen the Indigenous Procurement Policy .
In February 2025, the government announced reforms to the policy. It committed to new procurement targets, with an intention of reaching 4% of all Commonwealth procurement being from Indigenous businesses by 2030 .
There have been criticisms of this policy and the Indigenous business sector however, with concerns about Indigenous identity fraud and misuse of the policy.
What has Labor pledged?
Labor has committed to a continuation of efforts to close the gap . This is despite clear deficiencies within the policy to address socioeconomic disadvantage and the growing incarceration rates of Indigenous Australians.
The government has flagged the potential for more economic based policies instead of returning to the prior focus on Indigenous rights, recognition and truth-telling.
Labor has also committed to more Indigenous engagement at the international level. This is mostly through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's First Nations Ambassador initiatives, Indigenous foreign policy and public diplomacy.
What about the Coalition?
The Liberal and National parties are using the referendum outcome as a barometer to gauge the public's attitudes towards Indigenous affairs. They are largely opposed to increased Indigenous rights and recognition.
This has already started at a state level. The Queensland Liberal National Party , for instance, walked back their support for a state treaty just a week after the referendum result.
The federal Coalition has since been vocal about curtailing Indigenous recognition and placing greater scrutiny on Indigenous funding and programs.
Peter Dutton has expressed an interest in removing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at government press conferences. He also wants to scrap the First Nations ambassador role.
Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jacinta Nampijinpa Price wants the Coalition to audit government spending on Indigenous programs. She also wants a royal commission into sexual abuse in Indigenous communities.
It's safe to assume the Coalition will have no interest in revisiting any aspects of the Uluru Statement.
Dutton has indicated, however, that a referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition could be reconsidered , if it had bipartisan support.
But he seems very uncertain on this issue. It's unclear if he or the Coalition would even support this.
The direction of conservative politics in Australia is following trends happening in New Zealand . Indigenous rights there are very much in the crosshairs of policy debate and political attack.
The missing policy pieces
So what does the evidence say about what politicians should be doing to improve outcomes for First Nations people?
The first thing to do is come up with a plan. We, as a nation, must move past the referendum result and present a clear roadmap for addressing Indigenous rights and ongoing marginalisation.
Second, work on implementing the Uluru Statement remains unfinished. Truth and Treaty can still be acted on. The recognition so resoundingly called for in the statement remains elusive.
And if not a Voice to Parliament, government needs to work with First Nations people to determine a path forward for legislating a representative Indigenous national body that both sides of politics will support.
The Closing the Gap policy needs also needs massive overhaul. Of the 19 targets, only five are on track to be met.
The Productivity Commission, which monitors the progress on the targets, has said the program will fail "without fundamental change".
Some improvements have been made, but closing the gap in life expectancy and addressing the over-representation of Indigenous people in incarceration continue to be areas of vital concern.
Finally, Australia has not yet lifted Indigenous policy to international standards. The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) has existed since 2007. Australia officially endorsed it in 2009.
But, according to the Law Council of Australia, legal recognition of the declaration, and the rights it accords, is only recognised in a " piecemeal manner ".
This means there is no comprehensive or consistent legal provision for Indigenous rights in Australia.
And with no Treaty, there are limited safeguards for Indigenous cultures, creating further uncertainty which perpetuates and exacerbates Indigenous disadvantage.
Bartholomew Stanford receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
