Ken Wyatt’s respect for sacked adviser

Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt has praised the long-time friend he sacked from his senior advisory group as a good person.

Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt has praised as a “good person” the long-time friend he sacked from his senior advisory group.

Mr Wyatt fired indigenous entrepreneur Josephine Cashman on Tuesday for actions “not conducive to the constructive and collaborative approach required to progress the co-design process for an indigenous voice”.

Ms Cashman was at the centre of a furious debate over Aboriginal identity when she alleged author Bruce Pascoe had wrongly claimed to be indigenous, and called for a national register of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

“It was a tough decision to make because I have seen the strength of Josephine’s passion for economic development … the drive to provide housing for indigenous people. She still has a lot to offer, constructively,” Mr Wyatt said.

“I would hope she returns to the focus of the vision we had which would help our people immensely. Nobody ever loses those skills.”