PM condemns 'white supremacy ideology' behind alleged Invasion Day terror attack

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the "white supremacy ideology" behind the alleged terrorist attack on the Invasion Day rally in Borloo/Perth last month.

"We see you. We stand with you," he told First Nations people as he handed down his annual Closing the Gap report in parliament.

"The danger of that alleged attack was real — and so was the racism and hatred behind it, motivated by a white supremacy ideology.

"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the right to gather and express their views without fear of violence.

"More than that, you have the right to a full and equal place in our nation and our future."

Police have charged a 31-year-old man with engaging in a terrorist act by allegedly throwing a bomb into a crowd of 2,500 people at the rally on January 26.

The bomb's fuse was lit but the device failed to detonate, preventing what police described as a "potential mass casualty event".

They allege the man self-radicalised by accessing "pro-white male, pro-white material" online.

Mr Albanese acknowledged the Stolen Generations survivors watching his speech from the parliamentary gallery.

"I know that since the alleged terrorist attack in Perth, many of you have been providing comfort to people grappling with shock and fear, people imagining how much worse things could have been," he said.

Every February the government hands down a progress report on the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, a partnership with the Coalition of Peaks and state and territory governments.

It is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the 2008 national apology to the Stolen Generations, when prime minister Kevin Rudd first vowed to reduce the disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation.

Mr Albanese told parliament he "is not contemplating failure" on closing the gap despite the deadline being just five years away.

"We must … guard against talk of failure, because talk of failure dismisses the aspirations and achievements of Indigenous Australians," he said.

"It ignores the leaders and communities who are changing lives. Failure is a word for those who have stopped trying — or given up listening."

"I make this clear today: I am not contemplating failure. Our government is not contemplating failure," Mr Albanese said.

"We are determined to succeed."

The most recent data shows just four out of 19 targets are on track to be met by 2031.

But the prime minister highlighted that six targets are improving and the target of 95 per cent of children enrolled in pre-school is expected be achieved when the data is updated later this year.

"Different states and territories are performing better on different outcomes, even in some of the more challenging areas," he said.

This includes progress by New South Wales, the ACT and the Northern Territory in reducing the rates of children in out-of-home care, despite the target worsening nationally.

And Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia are making "significant progress" in reducing youth detention, Mr Albanese said, although the national trend shows no change from the baseline in 2016–17.

New commitments announced by the prime minister include:

• $299 million to double the number of jobs in remote communities under the RJED scheme, to 6,000 by 2030
• $144.1 million to upgrade and repair community-controlled health clinics and buildings
• $27.4 million to expand the number of stores eligible for subsidies on 30 essential grocery items
• $32.7 million towards food storage to help 75 more remote stores cope with extreme weather events
• $44.4 million towards Birthing on Country maternal care programs
• $48.3 million for short-term hostel accommodation.

The government has also revealed the $25 billion funding deal struck with states and territories last month will include $450 million for Indigenous health — $250 million from the Commonwealth and $200 million from the states.

Mental health support service 13YARN will also receive $13.9 million to extend its hours and establish a text message service, something they have long been calling for to help youth and people experiencing violence.

On Tuesday, First Nations organisations and the federal government launched the first standalone national plan to end violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children, accompanied by $220 million federal funding over four years.

Deputy lead convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, Scott Wilson, told reporters the new funding commitments were not "abstract policy areas, they go to whether our people can live with dignity, stability and hope."

"Today's Closing the Gap statement matters because it reflects a shared commitment to a different way of working, one that recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are not just stakeholders, but partners with governments and leaders in closing the gap," he said.

In a statement, the peak body said it was "disappointed" there was no response to the Healing Foundation's calls in a report released a year ago 'Are you waiting for us to die?' for urgent support for Stolen Generations survivors.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy told ABC News Breakfast achieving outcomes with the states and territories could at times be frustrating.

She said she was still determined to reconsider Commonwealth funding for jurisdictions that did not meet their targets, having raised the prospect of financial penalties last year.

"I'm absolutely determined to see that we can look at our federal funding agreements," she said.

"Clearly in many of those they're already underway in terms of three-year agreements, that doesn't mean that we can't look at what the next agreements will look like.

"The first cab off the rank for me was the Northern Territory Remote Area Investment."

In a statement, opposition spokeswoman for Indigenous Australian Kerrynne Liddle said she would continue to "advocate for practical action, not symbolic gestures, to improve the lives of the most vulnerable".

"This includes encouraging private sector employment in regional, rural and remote communities.

"I will continue to pressure the Albanese government to put greater effort into supporting people to find a pathway into those jobs, and not leaving them on the perpetual pathway of Indigenous employment programs."

What does the latest data show?

Data released last year shows the four targets on track to meet the deadline are increasing land rights, sea rights, the rates of adults employed and the rates of children enrolled in early childhood education.

Four targets are going backwards, with rates of suicide, children in out-of-home care, adult incarceration, and early childhood development all worsening.

For some other targets, including domestic violence rates, there is no updated data to measure progress.

The 2020 Closing the Gap agreement was signed in partnership with the Coalition of Peaks, representing more than 80 community-controlled organisations (ACCOs).

Under the agreement, all parties agreed that ACCOs were better for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and achieved better results, and governments committed to increasing their funding.

But a damning review by the Productivity Commission in 2024 found state and federal governments' engagement with Indigenous communities had been "tokenistic" and most had carried on a "business-as-usual" approach.

Last year, an independent First Nations-led review by Jumbunna Institute found ACCOs were "doing the heavy lifting while at the same time being under-resourced in comparison with government".