Australia has a few days before the federal election in 2025. Still, many Indigenous people—including the seaside community of Yarrabah near Cairns—lack indicators of democratic involvement. Common across other regions of the nation, absent are the campaign posters, rallies, and candidate visits. Policy debate is secondary on the streets as residents stroll past sugarcane fields and palm-lined beaches—the familiar jingle of an ice cream truck evading wild horses and dogs takes the stage.
This striking disparity begs a difficult question: Why have Indigenous concerns in Australian politics dropped so far off the national agenda?
Why did Indigenous issues in 2025 go silent?
A turning point was supposed to be the Voice to Parliament vote in 2023. Rather, its failure severely split the national debate. Aiming to legally recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and provide them a separate advisory body in federal decision-making, a notable 60% of Australians voted “No” to the proposition.
Political leaders have remained silent since then. During their campaigns, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton hardly addressed Indigenous concerns in Australian politics. When Dutton spoke on the subject, he said that “Welcome to Country” ceremonies were “overdone”—a remark many saw as part of a larger culture war, not a major policy stance.
Experts believe this transformation is not accidental. Political strategists making this tactical choice now view Indigenous issues as electorally dangerous. The reaction to the referendum has made many politicians hesitant to revisit the matter.
What results from this political inactivity?
Lack of communication has practical effects. Under its “Closing the Gap” approach, the federal government has tracked eighteen important statistics starting in 2008. These comprise measures of health, education, housing, employment, and incarceration. According to the most current statistics, just four of these targets are now on target. Unbelievably, some—like Indigenous incarceration rates—are getting worse.
This material goes beyond just numbers. It’s a mirror of the daily hardships experienced by Indigenous people. Still, much below the national average is life expectancy. More often occurring are chronic diseases. Rates of completion of education trail behind. Indigenous concerns in Australian politics are handled as though they are no more vital or even important, despite these continuous obstacles.
Professor Rodney Smith of the University of Sydney contends that the present quiet is not unusual. “We are just returning to the political norm,” he argues. Indigenous policy became a national issue for a fleeting moment. It has silently slid back into the fringes now. Read another article on Easter Drownings in Australia
For Indigenous Australians personally, how did the referendum affect things?
Communities continue to be rocked by the emotional fallout from the referendum. Over 450 cases of racism were reported from the University of Technology in Sydney at the time of the voting; several of them specifically mentioned the Voice proposition.
The CEO of Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services in Yarrabah, Suzanne Andrews, sadly revealed how her daughters, who are now university students in Brisbane, suffered abuse. “To do this to young people who have left the community to better their lives—it’s so wrong,” she remarked.
Notable “No” activist Warren Mundine encountered opposition from his neighborhood. “I was kicked off from boards. I passed out jobs. I was sent away, he remarked. His experience reveals that the argument was inside groups rather than only contentious between them.
Clinton Schultz, a psychologist, pointed out that continual public and political criticism created emotional stress. “It was overwhelming and quite destructive to people’s social and emotional well-being,” he said.
Since then, many Indigenous Australians have decided to become disengaged. Some people no longer regard political systems as fairly reflecting them. Others, such as campaigner Millima May, contend that until safer, more polite dialogues can take place, there has been a “tactical” decision to “lie low.”
What part should voters and legislators play right now?
One does not find a solution in silence. Neglecting the problem helps to prolong the very disparities Australia says it is combating. Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe claims political leaders passed up a great chance. She says, “They have to be honest that these injustices still exist.” “They are in a position to turn things around.”
Others including Thorpe think the next stage is a treaty instead of a symbolic referendum. Real authority and protection could come from a legally enforceable contract between First Nations people and the government. Furthermore desperately needed are sensible rules on land access, financing for education, health equity, and cultural preservation.
Even long-time politicians like Bob Katter acknowledge that they steer clear of these issues during elections, despite years of advocating self-governance and land rights. “As a politician that’s got to win votes, I wouldn’t be game,” he said.
Real leadership, however, calls for guts. It involves putting long-term national interests ahead of fleeting electoral gains.
Why Should Australians Demand Action on Indigenous Concerns?
Ignoring Indigenous concerns in Australian politics is not only unfair; it’s also shortsighted. Should governments keep distancing themselves from these problems, the already existing inequities in health, opportunity, and well-being would keep widening.
Handouts are not asked for by many Indigenous Australians. They are asking for a fair chance to shape decisions about their own lives. They want respect, acknowledgement, and actual action. “All we want,” declared Kulumbirigin Danggalaba Tiwi woman Millima May, “is a seat at the table.”
That seat has been turned down far too long. This is the moment to reestablish trust, rethink policy debates, and promise to close the disparity, not only on paper but in reality.
Silence Is Not Neutral: It Is Harmful
The 2025 contest might have been a turning point for honesty and national cohesion. Rather, the lack of discussion on Indigenous issues and concerns in Australian politics points to a political structure too frequently predicated on comfort rather than bravery. Remembering that democracy should incorporate every voice, especially those that have previously been suppressed, is crucial as people go to vote. It is time for a fresh strategy that listens, acts, and produces long-lasting transformation.
