Government to relocate to Torres Strait Islands for Indigenous focus

The federal government will shift to the Torres Strait Islands for a week as the prime minister looks to fulfil a pledge to indigenous communities.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks during the swearing-in ceremony of the new Commissioner of the Australian Border Force Roman Quaedvlieg at Parliament House in Canberra, Wednesday, July 1, 2015. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING

Prime Minister Tony Abbott (AAP) Source: AAP

Tony Abbott is looking to fulfil a pledge to focus on Indigenous communities by moving the centre of government to the Torres Strait Islands and Northern Peninsula Area next month.

The prime minister, along with ministerial colleagues and senior government officials, will spend a week of August based in the area.

"At the last election I committed to spending a week every year in a remote indigenous community," Mr Abbott said in a statement on Sunday.

"It's very important that our national leaders focus on the whole of our country, including its most remote parts ... During this week, this region and its people will be the focus of my attention."

The news came ahead of a meeting on Monday between Mr Abbott, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, and about 40 Aboriginal leaders to discuss the wording for a referendum on indigenous recognition in the constitution.

Mr Abbott told a reception on Sunday night ahead of the talks that their mission was "to correct a great silence in our constitution".

He acknowledged that it was somewhat unusual that he and Mr Shorten were effectively jointly hosting the occasion.

"The fact that we are doing this is a sign not just of our commitment to recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution but a sign of the importance of this recognition to our nation," he said.


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Source: AAP


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