Indigenous women leading the way

The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, today met with Indigenous women from across Australia, who had travelled to Canberra to be part of the annual Oxfam Straight Talk Summit.

The Summit aims to give Indigenous women a deeper understanding of the Australian political system, and allow them to share their understanding of the challenges facing Indigenous people with female politicians.

The 60 outstanding Indigenous women at the Summit come from a variety of backgrounds and have all brought their commitment to change their communities for the better with them to Canberra.

The Australian Government is committed to supporting Indigenous women at all levels to help close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.

The Government is providing $89,540 to support the Straight Talk Summit.

Hundreds of women in communities across Australia are also taking advantage of the Government’s $4.3 million Indigenous Women’s program to develop ways of helping their communities with essential practical skills.

The Government has also supported the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance with $600,000 over three years to identify issues and raise concerns on behalf of Indigenous women at the national level.

In addition, more than half of the 3000 people who have taken part in the Australian Government’s Indigenous Leadership workshops are women.