PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS
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NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND ISLANDERS DAY OF OBSERVANCE COMMITTEE WEEK
Page: 3710
Mr MARKHAM (Wollongong—Parliamentary Secretary) [5.19 p.m.]: National Aboriginal and Islanders Day of Observance Committee [NAIDOC] Week will take place from 7 to 14 July and this year's theme is "Recognition, Rights and Reform". Aboriginal people in the electorate of Wollongong and the Illawarra region will actively celebrate NAIDOC Week and I will participate in several events. On Wednesday 10 July a march will leave the Kenny Street Community Centre—a new Aboriginal cultural centre that was completed recently and is the pride of local Aboriginal people—and end at the amphitheatre in the mall, where a number of guest speakers will address the crowd. At 3.00 p.m. that afternoon at Wollongong City Gallery an exhibition of Aboriginal art entitled "Unity and Diversity, Aboriginality" will be opened by Iria White, Chairperson of the Queanbeyan Regional Council, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission [ATSIC]. That is an important exhibition celebrating NAIDOC Week.
Later that afternoon I will be present for the sealing of a time capsule that will contain indigenous art, the work of musicians and several community members. I am looking forward to that event, which will take place at the restaurant Faces on Crown. Friday 12 July is National Aboriginal Day and I have been invited to open the new Aboriginal Winnanaggay preschool at the Noogaleek Children's Centre at Winnima Way, Berkeley. That project has been in development for some time and organisers have timed the preschool's opening to coincide with NAIDOC Week. On Saturday 13 July from 10.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. I will attend the Aboriginal Reconciliation Festival at Nowra. This year's NAIDOC theme is about putting into practice some of the ideals of real reconciliation. It challenges all Australians to acknowledge a very important aspect of our shared contemporary culture. Each year a city is chosen to host the national focus for NAIDOC and this year the national focus with the theme "Recognition, Rights and Reform" will be in Sydney. As the host city, Sydney will stage this year's NAIDOC Awards Ball on Friday 12 July. These national awards recognise the significant contributions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make to their communities in many diverse fields.
Today many indigenous communities and individuals have little or no stake in the economic life of the nation other than what governments may provide. The achievement of social justice for indigenous Australians requires that the human tragedy and national shame be redressed. This is clearly a task of such magnitude and high importance that it lies well beyond the scope of any particular set of public policy measures. Indeed, it requires no less than fundamental reform to the basis of the relationship between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and must be built on recognition of the right to equality of treatment with all other Australians; the particular status of the nation's indigenous peoples; the right to cultural, social and economic diversity; the right to self-determination of priorities and paths in life; the importance of addressing both immediate need and the achievement of lasting solutions, and the need to commit adequate resources. I totally support those ideals.
Several other important events will be held during NAIDOC Week. On 8 July I will attend Spellbound Television awards to be held by ATSIC and the Department of Education and Training. The awards presentation will take place at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission State office. On Thursday 11 July at 6.30 p.m. I will attend the TAFE New South Wales Aboriginal Students and Staff Awards, which will be held at the Millennium Hotel, Kings Cross. I have been to that presentation for the past seven or eight years, and it is a very important part of NAIDOC Week. All honourable members should discover what is happening in their areas during NAIDOC Week and participate wherever they can. This is a great opportunity to recognise indigenous Australians.
Ms NORI (Port Jackson—Minister for Small Business, and Minister for Tourism) [5.24 p.m.]: I acknowledge the contribution by the honourable member for Wollongong in his role as Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Deputy Premier on Aboriginal Affairs to National Aboriginal and Islanders Day of Observance Committee [NAIDOC] Week and policy development. I recognise his constant and total commitment to the indigenous people of this State. I am pleased that NAIDOC Week celebrations have become quite mainstream. That is not a criticism, but a great compliment: We now recognise the importance of celebrating reconciliation. This year's theme "Recognition, Rights and Reform" is most important, and I congratulate the honourable member for Wollongong on his invaluable contribution to these issues and for the way in which he pricks our conscience in this area—and rightly so. We thank him for that.