Australians will be given a say on an Indigenous voice to government within months.
Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt says the mechanism would put Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at the centre of government decisions.
"We're confident that the Australian people will be able to have their say on an indigenous voice this year. We're progressing work and every Australian who wants to have a say will be able to have a say," he said in a statement.
Multiple expert groups are working on proposed versions of the voice.
The government has rejected the idea outlined in the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart that an Indigenous voice be enshrined in the constitution.
Instead it would be legislated and empowered to work with local, state, territory and federal governments.
A referendum on indigenous constitutional recognition is also on Mr Wyatt's to-do list, but he concedes it's unlikely to be held in this term of government.
Mr Wyatt has also revealed the government will use new Closing the Gap targets in an attempt to bring down Indigenous incarceration rates.
"How we do it once it's in place is certainly a requirement for states and territories to stump up and deliver on," he told parliament.
"We recognise that is a contributing factor to unemployment and many other issues that our people face."
