ello (@piers)

Update: "Anthony #Albanese has defended **breaking his promise** to attend the Garma Festival every year, stating he hasn't **"had a day off all year"**. At last year's event Mr Albanese vowed to attend the country's largest Indigenous gathering for as long as he remained PM. “*I commit here that, every single year that I have the great honour to be Australia’s prime minister, I will be here and engaged with you*,” he told the Garma Key Forum. "Last week the ABC reported that the PM would not travel to the NT for the festival, which kicks off on July 31. **Asked today whether this constitutes a broken promise**, Mr Albanese said, "*I haven't had a day off all year*." "*And this weekend, in a few days, I'll be in another remote part of the Northern Territory*," he said. "*I will be on leave at that time, but I will be at another festival in the Northern Territory in the coming days. I've been to Garma every year that it's been held since I've been Labor leader in 2019*." "**Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy will attend the four-day festival in north-east Arnhem Land**. "[...] In a statement, the Yothu Yindi Foundation said: “*Mr Albanese is a good friend of the Festival, and has been to every Garma since 2019*.” "The PM made the Indigenous Voice to Parliament a central pillar of his agenda and committed to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full when he was elected in 2022. The Voice to Parliament referendum failed the following year but the government had previously committed to a Makarrata Commission to oversee truth-telling and treaty-making. But during his speech at Garma last year Mr Albanese did not endorse support for a broad truth-telling process, instead praising state progress in Victoria. "**It is not the first time that Mr Albanese has faced scrutiny over keeping commitments**. "His decision to change negative gearing and capital gains tax settings in May was criticised as a **broken promise**. It was the second time the government had gone to an election promising not to fiddle with a tax only to **go back on its word**, which it similarly did in 2022 after vowing not to amend the already-legislated stage 3 tax cuts." Ewa Staszewska, ABC #auspol https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-16/anthony-albanese-breaks-garma-festival-promise/106923234