Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service, Assistant Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Today, I would like to talk about how our reform agenda is linked to making a positive difference for First Nations people.
But first, I would like to look back.
Because for me, the story of taking care of the health and wellbeing of First Nations people and communities goes hand in with the story of Closing the Gap.
Many trace Closing the Gap's beginnings to Prime Minister Rudd's National Apology to the Stolen Generations in 2008.
I was privileged to be in the Great Hall of Parliament House that day.
I saw tears, embraces, and heard the stories of survivors
I also saw that the Apology was only possible because of the courage of the Stolen Generations sharing their stories.
That day marked a new beginning.
A new era of healing, and of accountability.
But in truth, the work to close the gap began long before.
Generations of First Nations leaders and advocates right across the country undertook grassroots work to drive better outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
With passion and perseverance.
Healthcare workers have been at the heart of that story.
In 1971, trailblazers established Australia's very first Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisation in Redfern.
Just two years later, the Perth Aboriginal Medical Service was opened by volunteers on Beaufort Street in 1973.
It is known today, of course, as the Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service Aboriginal Corporation, and it is proudly represented here today.
Then, from the 70s, we saw the steady growth and influence of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations nationwide.
Led and staffed by compassionate professionals.
Professionals like the people in the room today, who have dedicated their careers to providing quality, culturally sensitive and appropriate care.
Meanwhile, governments were trying - and too often failing - to make progress, too.
A defining moment came in 2005.
Then-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Professor Tom Calma delivered his groundbreaking Social Justice Report.
That report delivered the clearest demand of Government yet.
A call to 'commit to achieving equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in health and life expectancy' within a generation.
Professor Calma's report called for a whole new approach.
One that acknowledged that the old top-down approach simply was not working.
And momentum built off the back of Professor Calma's report.
First Nations health and human rights organisations banded together to drive a National Health Equity Campaign.
By 2007, the Council of Australian Governments was pledging action.
Then came the Close the Gap statement of intent - signed by government and opposition.
The initial six Closing the Gap targets followed.
And the Government's official Closing the Gap initiative was born.
Everyone in this room knows too well, however, that the story of progress since has been mixed.
Yes, we are on a better track with our refreshed National Agreement and closer Partnership model.
Both spearheaded by our fellow West Australian, The Honourable Ken Wyatt.
But there is clearly much more to do.
According to the most recent progress report by the Productivity Commission, we are on track to meet 4 of the 19 targets in the National Agreement.
In early childhood education, land and sea rights, and employment, we are seeing encouraging improvements.
But in other areas, we need urgent change.
That includes rates of incarceration, children in out of home care, and suicide.
Here in Western Australia, the picture is similarly mixed.
But the more data we have, the better picture we get.
And the better we understand what works.
How our investments in health benefit First Nations People
When it comes to health, the more we prioritise culturally safe and appropriate care, the closer we will get to closing that gap.
As Minister Butler says, this care must be:
"… deeply and firmly grounded in country, founded upon culture, and connected to community".
That is why this Government is all-in when it comes to working with organisations like yours, nationwide.
It is why we are ensuring you have the funding certainty you need to plan ahead.
And it is why we are working with you on long-term reform.
So, we can end racism in health systems, strengthen cultural safety in service delivery, and drive system reform across the country.
This approach informed the specific measures we included for community-controlled health services in last week's Budget.
They include more than $144 million to support the infrastructure needs of Aboriginal Community Health Services.
More than $44 million to extend funding for the ten existing Birthing on Country services to support better outcomes for First Nations mothers and babies.
These are two examples of the investments the Albanese Government is making to support community-controlled health services.
They sit alongside funding for First Nations Health Worker Traineeships, Better Renal Services - five of which will be here in WA and expanding 13YARN.
And the historic First Nations Schedule in the five-year National Health Reform Agreement with States and Territories.
The Agreement includes a significant Australian Government investment to support better outcomes in public hospitals and health services for First Nations people.
And yet, it is not only this targeted funding that supports what you do.
The Government's broader investments in health and aged care are a vital part of the picture as well.
Whether it is the work we are doing nationwide to strengthen Medicare, to boost bulk billing, or to get more and cheaper medicines on the PBS.
Whether it is our aged care reforms, or our efforts to build a better and fairer system for mental health.
These reforms are translating to real, on-the-ground benefits for First Nations people, as well as the broader community.
A case in point is our new Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, designed to improve access to timely, walk-in care.
Nationally, millions of Australians have benefitted since the first Urgent Care Clinic opened in June 2023.
More than 137,000 of those patients identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, including more than 15,000 First Nations patients in Western Australia.
Another example is our changes to bulk billing.
Since November, new incentives have allowed GPs to bulk bill more patients, more of the time, including bulk billing for all First Nations patients.
This government is restoring bulk billing for time-tiered MBS items, health assessments, mental health treatment items and management of chronic disease.
All of which helps organisations like yours continue to deliver your care.
Then there are our changes to the PBS.
For too long, the cost of medicines has been one of the most immediate and practical barriers to healthcare for Australians.
Access to medicines is fundamental - for managing chronic disease, preventing avoidable complications, and supporting people to live longer, healthier lives.
The work we've done to add more drugs to the PBS and make them cheaper, together with the Closing the Gap PBS Co-Payment Program, are making a real
difference.
To reducing avoidable hospitalisations and strengthening access to culturally safe primary care.
With just the Closing the Gap PBS Co-Payment program, nearly half of all First Nations Australians have benefitted from medicines at reduced or no cost this financial year.
Taking a Whole of Government intersectional approach
Earlier, I said the story of First Nations Australians' health and wellbeing goes hand in hand with the story of Closing the Gap.
But I also know we make sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians' health is seriously considered in the everyday policy work of government.
Across every portfolio, we are invested in supporting First Nations people.
Take housing.
The Government's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund is delivering 20,000 new social homes and 10,000 new affordable rental homes in its first five years.
The current round of funding includes $600 million dedicated to First Nations Housing.
Including greater access to concessional loans, and a 10% First Nations tenancy target across all social housing.
Money is being made available for acute needs, including much-needed repair and maintenance work in remote communities.
We are also making sure our national skills and education policies serve those Australians who will benefit the most.
For example, fee-free TAFE.
Of all free TAFE places, six in 10 have been taken up by women, and one in three in regional and remote Australia.
And more than 44,000 places have been taken up by First Nations Australians.
Our schools policy is similarly inclusive.
Western Australia was the first state to sign up to the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement with the Commonwealth Government.
This agreement includes better support for First Nations people to join our teaching workforce.
It includes a commitment to trial place-based approaches to delivering schooling in a number of Western Australian public schools.
We are innovating how we work together with communities to deliver better outcomes for kids.
In turn, this provides a better foundation for healthier, more empowered lives.
Conclusion
As the Prime Minister said in his most recent Closing the Gap address to Parliament:
"Everything is connected."
"Your health and education, your home and your job - [they] shape who you are … your place in your community, the goals you set and the choices you have."
In that same speech, the Prime Minister told the story of young West Australian - Whadjuk-Yued Noongar man, Frank Mitchell.
From starting out as an electrical apprentice, Frank is now a leader in the Western Australian construction industry.
He was named Australia's Local Hero at the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards.
Frank says his own life's journey has shown him:
"… that work and education are not just about income or career progression. They are determinants of health and wellbeing."
Access to healthcare is a fundamental right.
All the other building blocks of a good life depend on it.
But the inverse is true as well.
A stable job.
A good education.
A secure roof over your head.
And a sense of where you belong in the world.
Our health and wellbeing depends on getting these things right too.
Grasping the intersectionality of people's lives - in other words, joining the dots - is at the heart of this Government's approach to supporting every Australian.
And we know how critical it is to achieving the best outcomes for First Nations people.
The theme you've chosen for this event says so much about what has kept you gathering for so long: Growing in strength starts with us.
Collective effort.
Common purpose.
Stronger - together.
Thank you.
