Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McGrath for the question. It is an important question because the government's engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is central to improving the lives of our first Australians. We recognise that there is a greater chance of success if initiatives are in fact built on decisions by local people. We are working with communities on how we can deliver reforms that are needed right across the country, including as part of the Empowered Communities process. We are working with local communities like North-East Arnhem Land where I have met with senior elders to empower the local leadership and create a framework for so-called 'genuine engagement'.

I have had the privilege to meet with the cultural authority of the region, the Dilak. I have met with them several times to talk about that engagement. Just as I am a leader within the Commonwealth, the members of the Dilak are and always have been leaders and parliamentarians of their region. I am committed to engaging and listening to them. We are on a pathway to making more decisions at a local level, and the Dilak Council is an example of how that will take place. The Dilak Council are completely connected with their communities, their culture and the opportunities for their land and country. They are now putting up all the suggestions for economic development on their land. We need to continue to work in partnership with Aboriginal people in their way on their terms. A better future has to be predicated on a better partnership.