Thank you Chair.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed pre-existing inequalities facing Indigenous peoples around the world.

Too often Indigenous peoples have been left behind in national responses to the virus and face unacceptable challenges in accessing food.

In Australia, COVID-19 lockdowns and supply chain interruptions have exacerbated long-standing food security challenges in remote Indigenous communities.

Australia is committed to improving food security and the availability of affordable, fresh and nutritious foods in remote Indigenous communities.

We know the only way we can do this is to ensure Indigenous peoples are front and centre of our recovery plans. Through our strong networks into communities, Australia has been able to quickly identify and respond to food-security challenges during the pandemic.

We are also working in genuine partnership with Indigenous communities and leaders to develop a national strategy for food security in remote communities.

Our approach is in line with our broader commitment to put Indigenous voices at the heart of policymaking.

Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are among the world’s oldest continuous cultures, rich in diversity, language and cultural practices.

We are committed to implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, which includes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament and Government enshrined in the Constitution. This will ensure that communities contribute to laws, policies and programs that affect them.

We are proud to be advancing a First Nations foreign policy agenda. We will appoint an Ambassador for First Nations Peoples and establish an Office of First Nations Engagement that will actively include and advance the interests of Indigenous Australians in international affairs.