Eora Star Launch

[Private members’ statements resumed.]

Mr MARKHAM (Wollongong - Parliamentary Secretary) [5.59 p.m.]: At 10 a.m. on Friday last week I attended the launch of the Eora Star, a launch that the Redfern Aboriginal Corporation [RAC] purchased without any funding from any governing body. The program that the corporation put in place with the new launch is a Harbour Dreaming Aboriginal Culture Cruise. It operates a 13.81-metre vessel, surveyed for 57 people, on Sydney Harbour offering bare-boat charters, function cruises, education tours for groups and schools covering both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal history of the harbour, and cultural cruises covering Sydney Harbour from an indigenous perspective and providing traditional foods and entertainment.

I was very pleased to be invited to the launch, which took place off the man-o’-war steps near the Opera House last Friday. Phil Duncan welcomed guests to the launch; Senator Herron officially launched the project that the Redfern Aboriginal Corporation has taken on board. The Redfern Aboriginal Corporation is a registered body that operates a community-managed employment and training program for Aboriginal clients from the inner city of Sydney. The goals of the corporation are to establish a sound economic base to provide employment and training into the future for Aboriginal community members of the Redfern area. The corporation is a public benevolent institution that operates on a non-profit basis, with all income returned to the community in the form of training and employment.

The Eora Star will employ a captain and four crew. Those people are drawn from the Redfern Aboriginal community. This is a very positive step in the move towards self-sufficiency for the Redfern Aboriginal community. Lee Silva, who has been the driving force for the Redfern Aboriginal Corporation, was very proud and pleased to welcome guests aboard. Some 30 or 40 people attended the launch of the vessel on Friday. We ventured out under the harbour bridge, and at Goat Island a young Aboriginal guide gave us an interpretation of Goat Island from a European perspective and an indigenous perspective. This is a great opportunity for the Aboriginal people of Redfern to tell residents of Sydney, New South Wales and Australia, as well as visiting international guests, more about the indigenous perspective of Sydney Harbour.

The Redfern Aboriginal Corporation operates a number of projects. The major project is a community development employment program, which is funded by the Federal Government and is basically a work-for-the-dole scheme. Under this scheme the RAC has an allocation of 80 positions that operate throughout Redfern. Some other projects the RAC has undertaken are: a community organised placement program to place people in local community organisations that suffer staff shortages due to budget restraints; and a program of community health workers who actively retrieve contaminated waste, such as injecting paraphernalia, from the Block and surrounding areas. A return rate of 50 per cent of 40,000 syringes and associated materials per month has been turned around to a consistent return rate of between 90 to 100 per cent.

The RAC has also undertaken a household refuse service and a furniture removal service and has an administration unit to facilitate its projects. It also runs a number of businesses. Redfern Aboriginal Corporation Construction has been operating for 18 months, employing 10 land conservation and restoration trainees, six apprentices and carpenters and six apprentice bricklayers. The media does not publicise these positive projects with positive outcomes for the Aboriginal people at Redfern. It is about time that they were recognised. That is why I have brought the matter to the attention of the House. I express my support for these projects, particularly the Harbour Dreaming Aboriginal Cultural Cruise.

Ms MEAGHER (Cabramatta - Parliamentary Secretary) [6.04 p.m.]: It is important that this House notes the ongoing commitment of the honourable member for Wollongong in Aboriginal affairs. As a Parliamentary Secretary, I often have House duty during private members’ statements, and I note the member’s commitment to raising issues of concern to Aboriginal people in this House. The Eora Star launch is not only an opportunity to create employment for five young Aboriginals from Sydney city, but also an opportunity to showcase their culture, heritage and connection to Sydney Harbour to a broader cross-section of New South Wales residents and visitors.

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This project helps bridge the divide between Aboriginal and white Australia and will assist in the reconciliation process. I am sure I speak on behalf of all honourable members when I congratulate Phil Duncan and Lee Silva on getting the Eora Star project off the ground and running. I also commend the Redfern Aboriginal Corporation for its ongoing work in developing employment and training opportunities for young Aboriginal people. Training and employment opportunities provide people with a sense of belonging and improve their self-esteem. They go a long way to break the cycle of social dislocation that is experienced by the Aboriginal people of Sydney. I congratulate the honourable member for Wollongong on his efforts.