The landmark Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs report on Indigenous economic self-determination represents a crucial moment for transforming Australia’s relationship with Indigenous peoples, says the First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance.
The Alliance welcomes the report and commends Senator Stewart for her leadership of the committee.
“This report must be a catalyst for action, not just another document gathering dust,” says ANU Professor Peter Yu and Chair of the Alliance. “It validates what Indigenous people have long known – the current system is holding back billions of dollars in potential Indigenous economic development.”
The report arrives at a critical juncture, building on Prime Minister Albanese’s August commitment to an Indigenous economic empowerment framework and growing recognition that First Nations peoples must be central to Australia’s renewable energy future.
“The evidence is overwhelming,” Professor Yu emphasises. “Indigenous communities hold massive potential for generating sustainable wealth through their lands and other assets. But we face formidable structural barriers that must be dismantled now, not in some distant future.”
The Committee’s 22 recommendations align powerfully with two years of intensive research by ANU and the expanding role of the First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance, pointing to an urgent need for fundamental reform. “We’re not talking about minor piecemeal adjustments,” says Professor Yu. “We need to completely reimagine the economic empowerment of Indigenous peoples”.
Drawing on Canada’s successful legislative framework for Indigenous economic self-determination, Professor Yu calls for immediate action to modernise Australia’s institutional architecture. “While Canada moves forward, Australia risks being left behind. The solutions are clear – we need to remove investment barriers while simultaneously building Indigenous organisational and business capacity.”
“This report is not just another contribution to the discussion – it’s a demand for immediate action,” Professor Yu concludes. “The time for incremental change is over. Government, industry, and Indigenous leaders must come together now to drive the fundamental reforms needed for genuine economic justice.”
The First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance is a coalition of Indigenous leaders working to transform Indigenous economic opportunity in Australia.
Media contact: Howard Pedersen 0423 291 338
