Federal Government Acknowledges Inadequate Support for Truth-Telling Initiative with Limited Staffing

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The federal government seems to have quietly sidelined a national truth-telling commission, instead monitoring the progress within states.

Anthony Albanese pledged full support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart when he became prime minister in 2022.

Although the Voice to Parliament referendum did not succeed, the government had previously pledged to form a Makarrata Commission to guide truth-telling and treaty-making, with $5.8 million allocated for its creation last year.

Currently, however, the government acknowledges that “we are not working on a specific proposal around a Makarrata Commission”.

A woman with blonde hair and dark-framed glasses and wearing a blue shirt sits at a table

Greens leader Larissa Waters has questioned whether the Albanese government is advancing its truth-telling commitment. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

Greens leader Larissa Waters quizzed the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) about the status of the funding in Senate estimates on Tuesday morning.

The NIAA revealed that much of the funding had been drawn into a contingency fund, with the agency financing a part-time salary to monitor progress in other states.

It came after Waters questioned whether the NIAA had made a budget submission for renewed funding or for other truth-telling mechanisms.

“So you’ve gone from $5.8 million for the Makaratta truth telling to now half a person looking at what other jurisdictions are doing,” Waters responded.

“Primarily, the work the branch is doing is looking at what’s going on around other jurisdictions,” NIAA acting deputy CEO Deborah Fulton told the committee.

“Half a person?” Waters asked.

Fulton replied: “Essentially, yes.”

Fulton said the organisation was administering other programs, like the Stolen Generations Redress Scheme, which provides financial compensation and healing to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people removed from their families.

Ahead of this year’s Garma Festival, Yolngu leader and chair of the Yothu Yindi Foundation Djawa Yunupingu told SBS News that truth-telling at a national level was a top priority.

However, Albanese did not endorse support for a broad truth-telling process during his speech at Garma, instead praising Victoria’s progress.

“As a nation, we are still grappling with the complete truth and impact of this exclusion,” he stated, while commending the efforts of Victoria’s Yoorrook Justice Commission.

In July, the nation’s first truth-telling inquiry handed down its final report, containing 100 recommendations for urgent change.

“Even as we continue on the long journey of understanding our past, we must meet our responsibility to the future,” Albanese said.

Albanese instead used his Garma address to focus on “economic sovereignty” through the establishment of new partnerships between government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.

SBS News understands the Greens will reintroduce their Truth and Justice Commission bill in this term of parliament, but the exact timing is unclear.

‘The government should stick to its promise’

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe urged the government to “honor its promise” and establish a national commission during this term, informing SBS News that truth-telling “is crucial for this country to confront its historical truth openly — without it, we can never truly develop as a nation.”

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe said the truth-telling commission should have royal commission powers. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

“The Prime Minister was full of praise for Yoorrook at Garma, but he refuses to act nationally,” she said in a statement. “He can’t hide behind the failed Voice referendum.”

Truth-telling must come first, Thorpe said, “so people in this country can learn the true history. Until that happens, we’ll keep seeing racism and misinformation spread about First Peoples”.