A luminary of the Indigenous rights movement, Aunty Pat Turner says Labor’s second term must be about delivery — not just dollars, but structural change.
In the wake of the Albanese government’s landslide re-election, the longtime advocate, CEO of NACCHO, and convenor of the Coalition of Peaks is calling for stronger leadership on Closing the Gap.
unless governments fundamentally change how they work with First Nations communities.
“I expect [much] stronger leadership from the second term of the Labor government when it comes to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap,” Turner told Karla Grant on Living Black.
Turner says real change will only come when funding is tied to reform — and .
Beyond the Numbers
While there have been some modest improvements, Turner says key Closing the Gap targets — including incarceration, housing, and the number of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care — are still “going backwards.”
“I want the Labor government to commit the financial resources,” she said, “and not fund state governments without conditions tied that are in the best interest of our people.”
She’s also wary of the way the national conversation focuses heavily on targets.
“I don't really like the targets because I think it's too easy for the media to focus on that,” she said.
“What the Coalition of Peaks wanted is … structural change within government, in terms of the way they work with our communities … shared decision-making partnerships, and to transform their own institutions so that they're safe places for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
Housing is still the number one issue
For Turner, housing remains the clearest example of where reform is needed — and where governments continue to fall short.
“Housing is the biggest issue in Aboriginal affairs, and no government has tackled it properly,” she said.
She welcomed Labor’s $4 billion, 10-year housing agreement with the Northern Territory, but called it “just a drop in the ocean,” and stressed that national investment must be backed by stronger accountability and community-led decision-making.
“It’s gotta happen right across the country, not just in the Northern Territory.”
Turner is also calling for culturally appropriate design — including safe, separate spaces for elders and young people, and infrastructure that keeps women and children safe.
“Where’s the expenditure on Crimsafe screens? On proper locks? It’s not happening,” she said. “If it doesn’t happen, we’re going to have people living in squalor in 100 years’ time.”
No big commitment from the Commonwealth
Turner says the lack of federal leadership on youth justice is another example of the structural failures holding back progress.
“What we haven’t seen is the big commitment from the Commonwealth to lead the way,” she said.
“For example, I think that the Commonwealth can legislate standards for the treatment of juveniles in this country to meet our international obligations. And they should.
“Because the only jurisdiction that has 14 [as the minimum age of criminal responsibility] is the ACT. Every other jurisdiction is 10 — and people seem to forget that. They think, ‘Oh, it’s just the Northern Territory and Queensland,’ but the other states are exactly the same.
“So, if the Commonwealth doesn’t legislate, there’s no pressure for the states to reform. And we can’t have our kids keep on getting locked up and taken into out-of-home care. It’s just fragmenting our communities and breaking down our culture — and it’s just another run of the Stolen Generations.”
No treaty in sight, but truth-telling can provide a way forward
Turner doesn’t expect a national treaty process to gain traction in the current political climate.
“After the Voice referendum went down, no one wants to touch those big issues,” she said. “All political parties are just too frightened.”
Still, she sees value in local truth-telling processes, like Victoria’s Yoorrook Justice Commission.
“Out of truth-telling will come a much better reconciliation of people at local levels,” she said.
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“I don’t intend to give up now”
After more than 50 years in public service and advocacy, Turner says her focus hasn’t changed.
“I have to be optimistic. If I’m not, I might as well just pack up and go home,” she said. “I fought all my life for… justice and human rights and self-determination of our people, and I don't intend to give up now.”
Her message for Labor is clear: structural reform must be the priority — and it must take place in genuine partnership with community.
