Australia has returned a government with a landslide vote. But this was not a vote for more of the same. It was a rejection of culture wars, wedge politics, and surface-level reconciliation. Voters signalled loud and clear, they want stability, not stagnation. Leadership with a spine. Unity, not uniformity.
There were quiet signs of progress during the campaign: subtle acknowledgements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, softening rhetoric, and a clear disinterest in weaponising First Nations issues. But for the most part, Indigenous affairs were once again pushed to the margins, treated as a side issue, separate from “core” economic or climate priorities.
We’ve seen this before. In election cycles and budget papers, on policy platforms and in boardrooms, Indigenous affairs is too often a line item rather than a lens. But failing to embed First Nations governance, is failing to govern effectively.
Stability doesn’t mean silence
This government now has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to lead differently. In his victory speech, the Prime Minister spoke of cohesion, fairness, equality, and respect. Those words must be backed by decisions. Australia will not settle for symbolic gestures, and communities will not tolerate inaction dressed up as strategy.
The numbers speak for themselves. Only four of the 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track. Just 6 per cent of child protection funding reaches Aboriginal-led organisations. Despite strong evidence that First Nations-led solutions drive better outcomes, the systems we work within continue to centre non-Indigenous control and colonial assumptions. That is not stability. That is stagnation.
Australians didn’t vote for the past. They voted for a future that feels possible. One that calls time on wasteful spending, shallow consultation, and projects that fail before they begin, not from lack of funding, but a result of misalignment, void of decision-making from the communities they serve.
First Nations governance isn’t a nice-to-have
The Voice may no longer be on the table, but that doesn’t absolve anyone from responsibility. If anything, it raises the bar for what’s next. First Nations governance is not a checkbox. It is a fundamental mechanism for good decision-making. A tool for better policy, stronger outcomes, and long-term accountability.
Embedding First Nations governance means:
- Moving beyond performative advisory groups and centring real authority
- Stopping the cycle of one Aboriginal person speaking for all Nations
- Building internal capability to engage respectfully and competently
- Investing in community partnerships that are resourced, not extractive
- Structuring decision-making so that First Nations leadership is not optional, but operational
These are the foundations required for responsible leadership.
Time to govern like the future depends on it, because it does
This is a rare moment in history. A stable government, a fractured opposition, and a country ready to move forward. The question is not whether First Nations governance be embedded into policy, business, and nation-building efforts. The action is pivoting the status quo to set a stronger benchmark for a better future.
For decades, First Nations communities have been expected to participate in solutions they didn’t design for problems they didn’t cause. That era is ending. Communities are organised. Investors are watching. And public tolerance for slow, shallow change is dissolving.
At a time when Australians have said a clear and resounding “no” to divisive politics that condescends First Nations communities or disregards the realities of climate change, I’m optimistic about what our government can achieve for our communities, economy, and First Nations peoples. With the confidence to be bold and drive change in ways that Australians have been wanting but not yet had the chance to see, our re-elected government has the opportunity to bring our country together and build genuine social cohesion and economic resilience. If this government wants to be remembered not just for holding power, but for using it well, it must lead with clarity, embed with integrity, and collaborate with the communities that have always known what works. The time for soft promises is over. What we need now is courage.
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