Hello. I'm Karla Grant. With a federal election looming, Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has begun remoulding Labor policy and has recently unveiled its new draft Indigenous Affairs policy. It's been labelled a 'seismic' shift from Labor's past policies, with a new platform based on practical outcomes rather than symbolic gestures. Video Journalist Angela Bates reports.

Voiceover: Economic development, self-reliance and moving people off welfare in Aboriginal communities have become the focus of Labor's new Indigenous Affairs policy, a step the Indigenous Affairs Minister, Mal Brough, says is moving more in line with the Howard Government.

MAL BROUGH, FEDERAL MINISTER INDIGENEOUS AFFAIRS: We've been saying for a long time, this is about treating everyone the same. Economic development, it's about saying there is no point whatsoever in having communities that are locked-up, in communal ownership.

Voiceover: It's only a draft document at this stage, and while Aboriginal leaders have welcomed the policy, some have expressed concern about the way in which economic development can be achieved.

TRACKER TILMOUTH, GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICER: So what we have is a very bleak outlook in terms of being able to provide skilled labour and have the community provide the capacity to become involved with any economic project that's sitting on their doorstop, either a mine, a horticultural project or whatever so it's a big row to hoe, if you like.

Voiceover: - Tracker Tilmouth, who works for the Northern Territory Mining company Compass, says while some mining companies have excellent employment programs, low literacy and numeracy levels in Aboriginal communities need to be addressed.

TRAPPER TILMOUTH: Numeracy and literacy and some ability to understand how to exit a mine safely. Also the ability to handle the heavy equipment that's normally running around the mine.

Voiceover: If elected to Federal Government, Labor's new policy promises to deal with the education shortfall, making State and Territory Governments more accountable for their service provision to Indigenous communities. Respected Academic Chris Sarra has welcomed this move.

DR CHRIS SARRA, INDIGENOUS EDUCATION LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE: Well, I guess we've got to force people to think about the hard questions like, "Would you accept these educational outcomes in white communities? Would we accept these second-rate justice in white communities? Would we accept these health outcomes in white communities?" Clearly the answer is no. People have to be challenged about those things and people who are responsible for service delivery in Indigenous communities have to be asked those sorts of questions.

Voiceover: Provision has also been made in the draft for the creation of an Aboriginal representative body, however there's scepticism that it may become another failed ATSIC.

MAL BROUGH: ATSIC was really the reason there has been little movement for such a long time. It's not held in high regard around Indigenous communities.

Voiceover: Peter Yu, former executive director of Kimberly Land Council in Western Australia agrees.

PETER YU, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF KIMBERLEY LAND COUNCIL OF WA: I think if there is to be consideration of a national form of representation, then it has to be very clear about what its job is to do and I certainly wouldn't see it as anything like ATSIC used to be.

Voiceover: While it's not yet clear how the Aboriginal representative body will work, Peter Yu believes there needs to some kind of structure where all levels of community can be heard.

PETER YU: A key area if there is going to be real manifest change has to be the authority on the ground in the community on a regional and local basis 'cause that's where it happens.

KARLA GRANT: Angela Bates with that report. And the draft policy will be presented at Labor's national conference next month for endorsement. Joining me now to discuss the ALP's new draft Indigenous Affairs policy is Labor's Federal Shadow Minister on Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation, Jenny Macklin. Jenny, welcome to the program. Good to be with you. Firstly, your policy addresses many of the issues that are important to Indigenous Australians, but how does it differ from the Howard Government's policy? I mean, there are similarities in terms of getting off welfare, creating more jobs, becoming self-reliant.

JENNY MACKLIN: I think important thing when it comes to Indigenous affairs is for us to not have a one side of politics hopping into the other. I don't think that helps Indigenous people. So what I want to do really is concentrate on those things that really will deal with the serious disadvantage that Indigenous people face. First and foremost, of course, the terrible discrepancy in life expectancy. And what are all the things that we need to do to address that? Of course health policy. But for me, fundamentally, it is about making sure that young people, in particular, and adults have the opportunity to get a good education and then get employment. And for me, that really is the number one focus.

KARLA GRANT: Your party plans to make a fundamental shift away from welfare dependency, however, there are a number of remote communities who do rely on welfare because there are no jobs where they are. So will Labor encourage businesses to invest in and set up companies in some of these remote communities? And will they consider tax concessions and subsidies and freight subsidies to make it more attractive to businesses to set up in these remote communities?

JENNY MACKLIN: First of all, I have never been in favour of passive welfare. And most Aboriginal people I speak to are not in favour of it either. They want to be able to work, they want their children to get a great education so that they can go on and have a good standard of living and good employment opportunities. So let's make that clear first of all. Secondly, I think it is important to recognise that there are many parts of Australia where we have very high levels of Indigenous unemployment where there are many, many jobs. So take some of the suburbs in some of our major capital cities, we have unemployment rates for Aboriginal people over 30%. We need to be working with Aboriginal people to get them into the jobs that are available.

KARLA GRANT: But what about remote communities where there are no jobs, no employment? For instance, Wadeye is a community that stands out.

JENNY MACKLIN: There are places like that, and of course what we have to do there is look at the opportunities that you have just described - what sort of work can we encourage in those sorts of communities, what sort of subsidies are going to need to be provided. But I do think it is important to recognise that in many remote communities there are employment opportunities that Aboriginal people at the moment can't take up - take ranger programs, take many of the environmental programs. The mining industry of course is crying out for more labour, particularly skilled labour. Aboriginal people can't get those jobs because their literacy and numeracy is not at a level that would enable them to do so. So let's not only focus on the places where it is hard to find work maybe skip because they are so remote. Let's look at the opportunities where there is work but Aboriginal people can't get those jobs because their education, their training doesn't give them that chance.

KARLA GRANT: Getting on to the national representative body, your policy does address that. How can Indigenous Australians be assured that this isn't just going to be another ATSIC? And can you guarantee that it will be a structure where communities can get involved and have a say in what happens there?

JENNY MACKLIN: Well, I think the best indication of us not reinventing ATSIC is because Indigenous Australians themselves don't want to reinvent ATSIC. We don't want to. We don't think that is the way to go. Aboriginal people don't want to either. They, nevertheless understandably, do want to have a say in Canberra. We have made a commitment in our draft policy to a new national representative body, but we have made it very clear in the platform, in the draft platform that we intend to talk to Aboriginal people about how that should work.

KARLA GRANT: Just very quickly. A formal apology to members of the stolen generation, is that a promise that if your party does get into power at the next election, will you in fact make that apology?

JENNY MACKLIN: Yes, it has been a Labor Party policy for some time. And we reiterate it again in this draft platform. I have no doubt it will be agreed at our national conference. It is the decent thing to do.

KARLA GRANT: OK, Jenny, thanks very much for your time.

JENNY MACKLIN: Thank you.

KARLA GRANT: And that was Labor's Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation, Jenny Macklin. Still to come on Living Black, Claims of racism by country music legend Roger Knox. The NSW town of Tamworth is the country music capital of Australia with the annual music festival attracting people from here and overseas. But at this year's festival, Aboriginal musician Roger Knox claimed he couldn't get a gig because he attracted the wrong crowd. Video journalist Kris Flanders travelled to Tamworth to speak with Roger and find out more about his claims of racism.

VOICEOVER. Roger Knox, the King of Koori Country, is famous for many country music classics including 'Koori Rose' and 'Streets of Tamworth', however the streets of Tamworth haven't treated him too well of late. Earlier this year Roger claimed that racism prevented him from playing at this year's Tamworth Country Music Festival.

ROGER KNOX If you want to know what it's like for us as an Aboriginal band, we don't get the opportunity to play together as a group here in Tamworth. They tell me, one part, that I attract the wrong type of people. I didn't understand that. I don't seem to understand because if you want to fill a venue up with people and if you bring people in, they're gonna bring their money in, no matter what colour they are.

VOICEOVER. Roger's claims were first published in the Sunday Telegraph. "A white friend of mine in the music business was told by a publican in Tamworth that I attract the wrong type of crowd – too many black people together." That friend, Dave Cooke, explains.

DAVE COOKE It is disappointing, given that I went up to Tamworth for or on behalf of Roger back in the early '90s to try and find him some shows, he was having difficulties then. I got the old, "We love your music but your fans are a bit "We can't handle your fans,” type of run around with a few of the publicans, which was pretty sad considering he lives there and should be there representing, you know, and playing his great music to the audience.

VOICEOVER. Tamworth music agent Mike Vee claimed that, "It's not the performers but the people that they attract. "Some publicans feel there will be alcohol-related trouble." Tamworth health worker Amy Creighton says double standards exist when it comes to alcohol consumption.

AMY CREIGHTON People seem to target and say, you know, "They're drunks, they're drinking alcohol, it's not good." You can walk down to the park and see a couple of people having a drink in the park, of our people, you go to the club next door, there could be hundreds of people, non-Aboriginal, drinking in there, but to society the ones who are drinking in the park are the ones who are targeted.

VOICEOVER. A number of pubs in Tamworth declined to comment. Booking agent Kerry Armstrong has several Indigenous performers on her books.

KERRY ARMSTRONG I kind of rang a couple of our Aboriginal artists and asked them myself and they said, "Yes, we do come across that at some times." And I was quite naive to it. I had no idea that that kind of happened.

VOICEOVER. Regardless, all of the Aboriginal bands she represents are always rebooked.

KERRY ARMSTRONG All the Aboriginal bands always get repeat gigs. I don't think we've ever had, in the time that I've worked at the agency, any venue that's rung up and said, "We don't want them back."

VOICEOVER. Despite Roger's claims, his very own son Buddy was able to secure two gigs at Tamworth's Tudor Hotel during the Country Music Festival. We spoke to publican Irene Hammond.

IRENE HAMMOND He went very well. The reports that came back to me were very, very good on their performances.

VOICEOVER. Like any pub or club, troublemakers are not welcome but Irene Hammond says skin colour does not come into play when booking performers at her establishment.

IRENE HAMMOND If they're good at what they're doing, they'll be hired, but if they're not good at what they're doing and they bring the wrong type of people to the hotel, then they won't be hired.

VOICEOVER. The well-known country singing family the Donovans have been going to Tamworth for many years. Agnes Donovan says they have never had any trouble performing in town.

AGNES DONOVAN No, we haven't really struck anything like that, but it did not surprise me, as I read the article. And I felt rather sorry for Roger because he is a pretty well-known figure within the country music industry and not just for Aboriginal people but also for non-Indigenous people.

VOICEOVER. Country singer Nigel Beetson agrees.

NIGEL BEETSON In the last 15 or so years that I've been playing music for you could count on the one hand the amount of times that I've actually seen it happen first-hand, That's not to say that it doesn't go on. But if I was publican in Tamworth I think the first people I'd be booking would be Roger and Buddy. You know, just awesome musos. And the following that they've got, you know, you need to have your head read if you weren't gonna be booking them.

DAVE COOKE Whenever I saw Roger play, all that ever happened was people had a good time. They were happy. To think that a talent like that has been restricted, it's a real shame, it is very disappointing. (Sings) # You know that old main street # It makes me feel so lonely #

ROGER KNOX It's not the music or the people who play the music, it's the people from the venues and people who don't understand and people who probably don't see enough black people together at the one time. All we can do is just keep on going and continue what we're doing.

Kris Flanders reporting there. Coming up on Living Black - 'Going Bush' with Cathy Freeman and Luke Carroll. Screening on SBS TV tonight at 8:00pm is the premier of the second series of 'Going Bush'. Join the stars of the show, Olympic champion Cathy Freeman and actor Luke Carroll, as they embark on a 3,000km journey through Indigenous Australia. Earlier, I caught up with Cathy and Luke to give us a sneak preview of the new series. Cathy and Luke, welcome to Living Black. Thank you. Thanks. It is good that you could join us. So where will you be taking us?

LUKE CARROLL: Firstly would be central Australia, a few Indigenous communities around there we visited on our journey, to start with. We went up to Cape York and then over to the Torres Strait Islands.

KARLA GRANT: Fantastic. Cathy, I understand that you visited a community outside of Tennant Creek where the women taught you about bush tucker. That would have been an eye-opening experience for you?

CATHY FREEMAN: It was eye-opening and it was just like world-opening. It was incredible. Luke was doing men's business just one day. I went out and we went looking for desert frogs and we ate frogs. Are you going to have one too? Are you going to have one?

WOMAN: Yeah, I'm having one. Here. And I ate a live witchetty grub.

KARLA GRANT: What did that taste like?

CATHY: Well, it tasted You have to be really quick because it is alive and it squirms and it is big and it is fat and so you - crunch! It tastes like fried eggs but it looks like over-easy egg because it is yellow, like a yolk. Eat the skin. OK. Yeah. Just bite it. Bite the head off. Got it.

KARLA GRANT: So when you visited the Torres Strait, what islands did you go to?

LUKE: We went to Darnley Ireland, Erub, which is the traditional name of it. Mer Island, Murray Island and Saibai which is at the top, near Papua New Guinea, 4ks off the Papua New Guinea coast.

KARLA GRANT: Meet some characters up that way? I certainly did.

LUKE: I mean, the island people are just, they are beautiful people and such a beautiful culture as well.

KARLA GRANT: Cathy, 'Going Bush' has been a means of exploring your Aboriginal identity. How have the people in the communities helped to you to do just that?

CATHY FREEMAN: They have helped me by simply just being themselves. You kind of pull up in the Toyota LandCruiser and you sort of open the door, and get out, and immediately there is this warm smile and huge sparkles in the people's eyes.

LUKE: The small communities in the middle of nowhere just haven't got much at all but they gave so much to Cathy and I. And I felt rude not being able to give something back to them, so hopefully showing this show on TV will be able to, hopefully, in some way give back to them.

KARLA GRANT: Do you think this experience has changed your perspectives on life in general?

LUKE: For me definitely, yeah. Yeah.

CATHY: Definitely on a really personal level because it makes me become more aware of who I am as an Indigenous woman, as someone who is a proud Indigenous woman and who hopes to be a really even more prouder Indigenous mother some day.

KARLA GRANT: So what you think people will take away from the series?

LUKE: For me I think it's just an accessibility to these Indigenous communities. Cathy and I were able to do it, and if we can do it, then anyone can do it. Jump in a car or jump in a plane and get out there, and get a knowledge of the Indigenous communities that we have and culture that we have in this country.

CATHY: I encourage everybody to go check out these places and enjoy Australia. And the ancient Indigenous culture is just so inspiring.

KARLA GRANT: I believe, Cathy, you were also running every second day during the filming of 'Going Bush'. Do you think there could be a comeback in the air?

CATHY: No, Karla. No. Come on. No.

KARLA GRANT: Cathy Freeman comes out of retirement.

CATHY: Yeah, it is funny you say that because it is very easy for me to get fit like that if I really wanted to because I love running so much and I love exercise so much. It's very much in my blood so I abstain. I very much am like a horse out of control. I have to grab the reins with both hands.

KARLA GRANT: So we won't see you at Beijing? No, no, no.

CATHY: Watching. I will be watching.

KARLA GRANT:Thank you very much for both joining us today and all the best for the series.

CATHY: Thank you.

LUKE: Thank you.

KARLA GRANT: And it looks like fun. As we know, the Sydney Harbour Bridge recently celebrated its 75th birthday. Indigenous involvement played a key part in the day's celebrations and as promised, for those of you who couldn't make it, here's a snapshot of what we experienced.

This historic event was officially opened by NSW Governor Marie Bashir and featured a traditional welcome to country by Auntie Sylvia Scott and didge player Matthew Doyle. Also on hand was AFL player Adam Goodes, the winner of the bridge poster competition, Zane Walford, and Australian Idol favourite Jessica Malboy. (Sings 'Advance Australia Fair') But the highlight of the event was the traditional smoking ceremony at sunset. With the lighting of the coolamon elder Uncle Max Eulo began proceedings.

Uncle Max Eulo: The smoking ceremony means a lot to Aborigines. It tends to the people and the land and gets rid of the bad spirit and lets the good spirit in.

KARLA GRANT: A feature of the ceremony was 90 44-gallon drums filled with eucalyptus leaves that lined both sides of the bridge.

STEPHEN PAGE: The idea for the billowing of the smoke to linger around long is that it has to be really fresh eucalyptus leaves to make that work for the 44-gallon drums. So, look, it is a strong idea but at the same time it is quite simple to put together.

KARLA GRANT: Aboriginal training vessel the 'Tribal Warrior' cleansed the waters below with a floating smoking ceremony. While walkers passed through the smoke on the bridge, they were cleansed by haunting and evocative music composed by David Page and Matthew Doyle.

DAVID PAGE: I work with Matthew Doyle. He put the language together from the Camergal and the Dharagul. So he just did really simple story about the two tribes, how they call to each other and how they used to cross this part of the harbour.

KARLA GRANT: It was a symbolic day for black and white, young and old, many painting themselves in ochre and displaying colours of the flags.

MAN 1: I'm walking today because I believe in this bridge's birthday and celebrating black power and pride.

MAN 2: You know, being part of the Reconciliation Walk in 2000, this is an opportunity to get out there and do it all again.

MAN 3: I just think it's a really uniting thing to do.

WOMAN: There is no other occasion like today to do something like that. It is absolutely awesome. And you can feel the spirit as well. Love it! And that's the program for today. Join us next week as we take a look at the new Aboriginal rugby league breakaway competition. pause The positive outcome in that respect is for the youth, and it changes the lifestyle. It is a lifestyle change for them because they have got to get fit, they have got to get healthy to play the game.

KARLA GRANT: That's next week on Living Black. Don't forget, if you'd like more information on the program, visit our website. You can find us by logging on to sbs.com.au and click on News. And to close the program, with a federal election looming we asked your views on how governments can better address Indigenous affairs. On behalf of the team, thanks for your company. I'm Karla Grant. Goodnight.