The "shock and fear" surrounding the alleged January 26 terror attack in Boorloo/Perth will be acknowledged by the Prime Minister during his annual Closing the Gap speech on Thursday.
The incident, which targeted an Invasion Day rally, has caused grief and alarm among Indigenous communities nationwide. Many have argued that both the everyday racism they experience and the attack itself have not been adequately addressed by political leaders, with the events on January 26 the latest in a line of racially motivated attacks on First Peoples.
In his address to Parliament — which will be attended by members of the Stolen Generations and community leaders — Anthony Albanese is expected to say, "many of you have been providing comfort to people grappling with shock and fear".
"People imagining how much worse things could have been," he will say.
"I want to reaffirm what I said here last week, on behalf of the Government and the people of Australia: We see you. We stand with you."
Uluru Dialogue co-chair Pat Anderson said last week that beyond the fear and hurt caused by the attack at the Boorloo / Perth Invasion Day rally, it was the lack of response that affected her most.
"The now alleged terrorist act combined with the sluggish, inert response of elected leaders is a stark reminder of how we as Aboriginal people are viewed and treated in this country," she said.
"I know our communities are feeling scared and hurt right now. The message that hurt me most was that of silence. The silence was overwhelming."
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Federal Police allege a 31-year-old man threw a bomb that failed to detonate at the 2,500-person rally. Authorities claim he held an extreme ideology and will allege the incident was a nationalist and racially motivated attack targeting First Nations people at the protest.
The Prime Minister is also expected to state that the danger posed by the alleged act of terrorism "was real," as was the "racism and hatred behind it," which he says was "motivated by a white supremacy ideology".
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the right to gather and express their views, without fear of violence," the PM is expected to say.
"More than that, you have the right to a full and equal place in our nation and our future. Unburdened by discrimination or disadvantage. Empowered by opportunity and security."
This week, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said she had discussed the possibility of including racism and hatred directed at First Nations people in the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion (RCASC) with Attorney-General Michelle Rowland.
"I am very concerned about the increase in online hatred and racism, in particular towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," Senator McCarthy told Senate Estimates. "And of course, I'm also looking very closely at what possibilities there are with the Royal Commission."
In a statement on Thursday, independent Senator Lidia Thorpe said the Prime Minister's acknowledgement of racism and white supremacy must be backed by action, including the immediate implementation of the National Anti-Racism Framework, which was presented to the government by the Human Rights Commission in 2024.
"Today the Prime Minister is calling out the racism and white supremacy that First Peoples face. But this year's Closing the Gap plan does nothing concrete to address racism," she said.
"His government received that report more than a year ago and hasn't even provided a formal response, let alone begun implementing its recommendations. This lack of response does not square with his words today. We need less talk from this government. We need action."
Additional reporting by Jarred Cross
