ABORIGINES LABEL PM A LIAR OVER RECENT CTG SUCCESS CLAIMS
12/02/2026
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s recent claims that his government is achieving Closing the Gap outcomes for Aboriginal people are a complete fallacy, designed to mislead the Australian public and mask the ongoing failure of government policy.
Closing the Gap was established to improve the health and rights of Aboriginal people but has thus far, failed to do so.
Aborigines continue to die younger, are incarcerated at dramatically higher rates, have our children removed at alarming levels, and live with entrenched poverty, housing insecurity and preventable ill-health. These conditions have not improved.
In key areas such as incarceration, they are getting worse. This is not progress. It is policy failure.
The Prime Minister has been in power for almost four years and during that time, his government has failed to achieve the very targets it claims success against. Instead, the Australian public are presented with optimistic rhetoric that bears no resemblance to the lived reality of Aboriginal people.
One of the core Closing the Gap targets is land return yet under Prime Minister Albanese, no land has been returned to Aboriginal ownership; certainly not in lutruwita/Tasmania.
The Prime Minister has the authority to act if he chose to do so. The Commonwealth has the power to instantly transfer nationally significant Aboriginal lands, including on Tasmania’s west coast currently held as public reserves however no such action has been taken and no land has been returned.
Aboriginal people don’t need or want more targets, reports or reviews. We call for action, particularly on land return and Aboriginal control of our own futures.
If the Prime Minister is serious about Closing the Gap, he must start by telling the truth: that yet again he and his government have failed Aborigines.
Until real outcomes are delivered including the return of our lands claims of success are hollow.
Nala Mansell
Campaign Manager
Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre
