Abbott's Indigenous Advisory Council meet for the first time

The newly elected Indigenous Advisory Council met for the first time with Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Canberra today.

NTV_051213_ABBOTT_GRAB_SOT_16442947_0.jpg

Tony Abbott in his first meeting with the newly elected Indigenous Advisory Council.

The twelve members gathered to talk about how they're going to implement some of the government's goals in resolving Indigenous issues.

Prime Minister Abbott was adamant in proving to the council that he plans to make a real difference in the lives of Indigenous people.

“I really am determined, as I know each one of you is determined, to make a difference, not just to the symbolism, not just to the funding but to the practical outcomes on the ground for Aboriginal people,” said Mr Abbott.

The chair of the advisory council, Warren Mundine, praised Prime Minister Abbott for his commitment to Indigenous affairs thus far.

“Every prime minister in our life time has left office and they’ve always said that one of the saddest things was they didn’t do enough in this area. So having you from day one have this commitment to Indigenous people and the Australian nation is really great to have you on board,” said Mr Mundine.

But not everyone is happy with the decisions being made by council members so far.

Managing director of Rio Tinto, David Peever was selected by Prime Minister Abbott to sit on the council despite wanting his twelve members to share a common goal to improve economic development in Indigenous communities,

Mr Peever’s company has recently been held responsible for cutting more than a thousand jobs from the small community of Gove


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

By Brooke Boney

Source: NITV News



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world