Noongar elder Robert Isaacs

Noongar elder Robert Isaacs says people who use the term indigenous to describe Aboriginal people are robbing them of their identity and disrespecting individual cultures.

The former West Australian of the Year believes it is time to sort out the terminology and stop using the term indigenous rather than the word Aboriginal.

Dr Isaacs said he had been on the warpath over the label because it was affecting the identity of Aboriginal people.

It comes as Dr Isaacs revealed his hurt at the Federal Government’s decision to reject a proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory body to Parliament.

Dr Isaacs said he had washed his hands of the Government and had recently knocked back a meeting with Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt because he did not think it would result in meaningful change.