Kevin Rudd had begun secret discussions to create a new national cultural institution before he was dumped as prime minister – a vision that would have built on his legacy as the leader who apologised for systemic mistreatment of the first Australians over generations.

Behind the scenes, the then prime minister instructed bureaucrats in 2009 to begin discussions for a landmark museum dedicated to Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, to be built in Canberra's parliamentary triangle on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.

Days after US President Barack Obama inaugurated a new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC, Mr Rudd has called on Australia's political, cultural and business leaders to take up the idea of a new museum – funded by government, philanthropic donations and corporations who owe debts to Indigenous Australia.

The former Labor leader had asked the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to identify a site and funding for a nationally significant architectural monument and educative institution.