Ever since becoming a Member of Parliament, I have tried to get out of the office so that people can tell me about their lives and about the issues they face.
So, this week, I will be visiting Indigenous communities in the Torres Strait and on the tip of Cape York.
It will be the first visit by a Prime Minister to this region in 18 years.
I will be visiting some areas that no Prime Minister has ever been to and on this trip I’ll be joined by Ministers and by senior officials.
Before the last election, I promised to spend a week every year absorbed in the real life of Indigenous communities because I want to see for myself the challenges facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
I know that every community is different.
But the foundations of success are the same: it’s getting kids to school, adults into work, and making communities safe.
That is where we must focus if we are to make meaningful progress.
We are a great country but we won’t be everything we can be until Indigenous people are participating fully in our national life.
So I do look forward to spending this week in the Torres Strait and the tip of Cape York and to working with Indigenous people on the practical things; the practical things that we can do to help improve their lives.