Australian PM to spend a week on Aboriginal land

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Wednesday he plans to spend a week in an Outback Aboriginal settlement to focus national attention on the bleak plight of indigenous people.

Abbott announced his trip to remote East Arnhem Land, set for later this year, in a speech to Parliament when he delivered the government’s annual update on the state of Aboriginal affairs. He said Australia was not on track to achieve important targets in closing the gap between the living standards of Aborigines and the rest of Australia.