Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Wong for that important question. We are committed to improving the lives of Indigenous Australians so that this generation, the next generation and generations henceforth can have the same expectations and opportunities as any other Australian. We are committed to taking effective action to close the gap. Indeed, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, the member for Hasluck, is working very hard to address those issues.

These are not straightforward issues. Governments of both political persuasions, at the state and the federal level, have made genuine efforts since the first royal commission report and recommendations were released some decades ago. But, as my friend and colleague in Western Australia, the state Labor Indigenous affairs minister and Treasurer, Ben Wyatt, said on Sunday at an event I was at with him in Perth, this has been a difficult issue for a very long time and, if there were easy and straightforward resolutions, they would have long been applied because there has been a lot of goodwill and a lot of effort put in place in an entirely non-partisan fashion by governments of both political persuasions, both at the state and federal level.

Yes, we are committed to continue to explore ways that we can do better. We must do better—we absolutely must do better—when it comes to this important issue. Going forward, you'd be aware of the announcement by the Prime Minister in relation to the reform of national governance arrangements. The National Cabinet is replacing the Council of Australian Governments from here on in. Also the establishment of the National Federation Reform Council, which will meet together—