Indigenous Ministers meeting silent on Makarrata Commission after Voice debacle

When Indigenous affairs ministers from around Australia met for the first time after the failed referendum one key topic was missing from the discussion.

Exclusive: Ambitious plans for an Indigenous truth-telling commission appear to be on the backburner with the proposal not getting a single mention at the first major meeting of Indigenous ministers and peak body representatives since the catastrophic Voice failure.

It comes as the NSW government distanced itself from federal plans for a truth-telling commission — the second element of the Uluru Statement from the heart.

The Albanese government’s dithering on the topic — which has included a vague answer under questioning in parliament — is at odds with a major report which showed 80 per cent of Australians backed a formal truth-telling process.

The survey of 4,200 voters by the Australian National University showed that an overwhelming majority wanted a formal truth telling mechanism like the Makarrata Commission or Victoria’s Yoorrook Justice Commission.

Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said she would have “further discussions” about the commission, for which the Albanese government has already committed $5.8m in budget funding, at the meeting of the Joint Council on Closing The Gap last Friday in Melbourne.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney. Picture: Martin Ollman

But the official meeting communique mentions nothing about either of the remaining two elements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

NSW Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Harris said the topic was not discussed despite Ms Burney saying Indigenous voices on the ground were focusing on truth-telling.

NSW Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Harris. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

“Makarrata or truth-telling was not on the agenda of the Joint Committee on Closing The Gap. The meeting was focused on national progress in implementing the National Agreement on Closing The Gap,” a spokesman for Mr Harris said.

“The Makarrata Commission is a matter for the federal government.”

When asked by Liberal deputy leader Sussan Ley about the government’s plans for a Makarrata Commission, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dodged the topic, focusing instead of the issue of treaties.

“We respect the outcome that was made on 14 October,” he told parliament.

“There are no treaty negotiations underway by the federal government.”