ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood) (14:18): I am a member of the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee, which I was very happy to be elected to by this parliament. I visited the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands earlier this year, and on that visit I saw some very positive things that were happening on the lands but, unfortunately though, there still remains much work to be done.

One of the things that is very obvious to anybody who visits is the lack of meaningful employment for the people on the lands; in particular, this has been exacerbated by the federal government's decision to reduce CDEP funding and also MUNS funding. So, the only real jobs that exist on the lands for the local Anangu people really are tied up in either Nganampa Health, DECS or SAPOL, maybe, as a community constable. There are very limited employment opportunities for the local Anangu people.

However, one very shining example of where employment does exist is the burgeoning arts community there. During my visit, I was very pleased to visit the arts community, with Beverley Peacock at Fregon; Julian Green at Pukatja, at Ernabella Arts; and Skye O'Mara, at Tjala Arts, at Amata. Skye O'Mara in particular spoke very passionately about the transforming nature of this non-welfare money coming onto the APY lands and what it did for the local community.

I commend the new Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, who met with these groups when they visited the parliament today. We heard earlier in this parliament the Minister for Health, who referenced the fact that they recognise that these arts communities play an important role in the communities, especially in the area of health, and he has promised to look very carefully at the issue of housing.

Meeting with people is not enough. Promising reviews is not enough. These communities need immediate action. Let me tell you about one such community, that is, the community at Mimili Maku. This is a small emerging arts community. The facilities there, let's face it, are absolutely appalling, but even with these appalling facilities, the artists there have been able to reach absolute heights and we already have two artists there, Tuppy Goodwin and Milatjari Pumani, who have had their work purchased by the Art Gallery of South Australia.

So, there is a great talent there. This art centre is a great opportunity but it is being stifled by one thing—the lack of housing for the arts worker who runs the organisation. Hannah March first came to Mimili Maku in January 2010. Since that time, they have been able to really transform the operation there and in fact, last financial year, $130,000 of non-welfare money came onto the lands because of the Mimili Maku Arts Centre. This financial year so far—and of course we are only a few months into it—we have already hit $165,000. It will be a great year.

However, Hannah March has been without accommodation since she arrived. She put it to me that she has essentially been living as a backpacker. When somebody goes away, she gets to go and sleep on their floor for a couple of weeks; this is a totally unacceptable situation. I am very pleased that the government is listening because I think that it is absolutely crucial that we do everything we can as a parliament to support non-welfare money going onto the APY lands to transform the lives of the indigenous Anangu people there.

There are a large number, I think something like 60 artists, in Mimili alone who contribute to the work at the Mimili centre. They have had their first sole Mimili exhibition in Adelaide at the AP Bond Gallery, on Magill Road, in my electorate. In fact, I opened the exhibition and I am pleased to say that every single work there sold. I think they are going to get me back to open another exhibition soon. I say that in a light-hearted way but this is not a light-hearted issue. It is a crucial issue. I am glad that the government is listening. I will be paying a lot of very close attention to the response that the Minister for Health and the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation make to this situation, and I commend to the government an increase in funding to housing as a matter of absolute priority.