This week, the Senate debated the Government’s annual “Closing the Gap” report.
This is the update on where Indigenous Australians are falling behind- or catching up to- non-Indigenous Australians on a range of socio-economic measures. The picture, as it has been for a long time, was not promising. But once again, the government promises to do better – usually by spending more money on activist groups who have already failed multiple times. I’ve had enough. I stood up in the Senate and used my position for what it’s good for: telling hard truths.
 The reality is, after Kevin Rudd’s National Apology to the Stolen Generations, Indigenous policy is still stuck in “sorry” mode. I believe it’s time for something beyond remembering the apology each year. I believe it’s time for Indigenous forgiveness. No one alive today is responsible for the sins of the past. Our children and grandchildren, in particular, should not be saddled with guilt. This doesn’t mean forgetting the past or failing to learn the lessons of past mistakes. It means no longer being a prisoner of the past. But that hasn’t happened because it’s bad business for the inner-city activists who are pushing for reparations and segregation. We also need to accept the truth that many Aboriginal people are not disadvantaged at all. Many have thrived and prospered under the Australian system. Race does not define disadvantage. Everyone, even Indigenous people, has individual agency. And that leads to another hard truth: There are aspects of Indigenous culture that are damaging and dangerous. Regressive attitudes towards women – and acceptance of violence – are parts of traditional culture that are still present today and that Labor refuses to acknowledge. And until they do so, and do so seriously, the gap will never close. We also need to have much higher expectations of Indigenous people. There is still an attitude of paternalism that means many Indigenous people are still unable to take full economic advantage of native title land. The fixation on victimhood and past wrongs needs to be done away with. We must give Indigenous Australians the individual agency that all humans crave. As masters of their fate and captains of their souls, many more Indigenous Australians in remote and regional parts of Australia will start new ventures, join new enterprises, and unlock multigenerational wealth. Their success, or their failure, will be up to them. That’s how it should be for everybody. If we want to “Close the Gap”, it’s time to stop ring-fencing people based on race.
 You can watch my speech here.
You can read my speech here. Time for REAL solutions. 
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price
Senator for the Northern Territory
Shadow Minister for Small Business
Shadow Minister for Skills and Training | 
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