AUSTRALIA'S first indigenous head of government is the son of a labour union activist who, through his hardscrabble upbringing and time in the bureaucracy, decided there can be no progress in indigenous affairs without a move away from the "socialism that's killing Aboriginal people", towards a focus on developing economic opportunity.
He believes everyday work does not detract from culture and that Aboriginal people "don't want to be kept in museums". His first-hand experience of disadvantage cuts deep and he recognises the pain its "hidden demons" can cause. He is proud of his heritage but does not want to be defined by it, rejecting the politics of separation in favour of seeing indigenous people defined as Australians first.
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