PM to fulfil indigenous election promise

Tony Abbott will squeeze a final election promise into his first year as prime minister, spending a week in indigneous communities in Arnhem Land.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been in power for one year. (AAP)

Tony Abbott will use the final days of his first year to fulfil one of his priority promises.

Squeezing in just before the promised 12 month deadline, the prime minister will fly to North East Arnhem Land and spend six days in remote indigenous communities.

It's something he promised in the lead-up to the 2013 election, after he said he wanted to be "prime minister for aboriginal affairs".

His pledge came alongside promises to bring indigenous affairs into his office - which he has done - and to release a draft amendment to the constitution to recognise of the nation's first peoples - which he hasn't.

The latter is not far off though, with Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion saying the draft wording will be released for public consultation by the end of 2014.

A review panel is looking into public support for a constitutional change but is yet to report to government.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda fears the government may delay a referendum until after Abbott's first term.

Mr Gooda says momentum could be lost if it is postponed until 2017, but the prime minister says a premature referendum without enough public awareness faces defeat.

Indigenous affairs was not immune to the government's budget cuts, with bureaucrats told to find hundreds of millions in savings.

Government-backed indigenous programs have been given six to 12 months worth of funding to prove their effectiveness.


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