Parliamentary Committees

Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee: Report 2017-18

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (11:02): I move:

That the 2017-18 annual report of the committee be noted.

Although I am a recent addition to this committee, it has been my absolute privilege to be part of a committee that is so committed to better outcomes for Aboriginal people within South Australia. As with most committees, there has been significant change over the past year for this committee with the election and a new parliamentary session. I would like to acknowledge that a significant amount of this report relates to the previous committee under the previous presiding member, the Hon. Tung Ngo from the other place. In doing this, I would also like to acknowledge previous committee members: the Hon. Terry Stephens from the other place; the member for Taylor, Mr Jon Gee; and the former member for Morphett, Dr Duncan McFetridge.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the current members: our presiding member, the Hon. John Dawkins from the other place; the Hon. Kyam Maher from the other place; the Hon. Tammy Franks and the member for Giles, who both continue on from the previous committee, much to the benefit of the current committee, which gets to call on their wisdom when necessary; the member for Waite; and the member for Finniss, who, fortunately for me, had to resign from the committee, so I was able to take his place. I thank all those members for their contribution to the 2017-18 annual report. It is my great pleasure to be able to move it without having contributed a great deal to its creation. Thank you very much to all of them.

The committee had a heavy visiting schedule over the past 12 months, with the majority of it being a follow-up from an APY lands trip on 27 June 2017. I have to say that, as a new member of the committee and a new member of this parliament, I am very much looking forward to my first trip to the APY lands. A couple of attempts were made to organise a trip there this calendar year but, due to cultural business and other such things, we were unable to find a time. However, I am very much looking forward to working with the committee to plan a trip early in the new year and, hopefully, spend some valuable time up there.

The committee called a number of witnesses, provided much-needed attention to areas such as police presence in remote areas, funeral and coronial services in remote areas, access to dialysis services on country and also understanding better the issues faced by community members in the Community Development Program across the APY lands. Despite cancelled trips due to cultural business and the election in March, which I alluded to earlier, many members were able to undertake individual trips, meeting with Aboriginal community groups and peak bodies regarding matters of interest for this committee.

As the member for Narungga, I have to say that it was deeply pleasing to see so many parliamentarians at the 150^th celebration of the Point Pearce community recently, at which I was honoured to be able to speak. I addressed a healthy crowd out at Point Pearce, and the town was looking magnificent for the day. It is worth noting that the Hon. Kyam Maher was there. He stayed around to watch the footy carnival that evening in Moonta. Also there was John Dawkins, the current Presiding Member, and it was a pleasure to see him there during the day and at the footy that evening. The Minister for Child Protection was also there. She is not a part of the committee but takes an active interest in the wellbeing of the Point Pearce community. It was a great honour to see her there at the Point Pearce celebrations.

They do a tremendous job at Point Pearce, creating a real carnival-like atmosphere. A lot of marquees and different stands were set up, with things for people visiting the town to do, and the 150^th celebration was no exception. A wonderful Welcome to Country was conducted, which was a tremendous experience for me. It was one of the more intricate Welcome to Countrys I have seen, and it will not be easily forgotten. There were some great speeches by a number of different people. Klynton Wanganeen spoke and called on his past experience in his role in promoting the Aboriginal movement.

John Chester from the ALT addressed the crowd about the ALT plans for the Point Pearce community and their surrounding farmlands. At the celebration, we were lucky enough to have Edmund O'Loughlin unveil the plaque to celebrate the 150^th birthday. My understanding is that he unveiled the plaque 50 years ago for the 100^th celebration. I am happy to stand corrected, but I believe that to be the case. He was able to come back and unveil that plaque.

It was great to hear from him and about the experiences he has had in the Public Service in Canberra and as a teacher at Point Pearce. We heard about some of the rules he put in place for his students to make sure they were fulfilling their potential and attending school as often as possible. Some of the success stories that come out of classrooms that he presided over are truly inspirational. So it was a tremendous day at the 150^th birthday of the Point Pearce community.

The NAIDOC celebrations were similar at Point Pearce, with a similar number of marquees and events. I had a badge depicting the Aboriginal flag made for me, which was wonderful, and I have been wearing it proudly on the odd day ever since. That was a similarly tremendous day. They do it well at Point Pearce, and it was great to see so many parliamentarians at the past two celebrations they have had.

In October 2017, the committee commenced its review into the operation of the Aboriginal Lands Trust Act 2013. During the reporting period, the committee took written and oral submissions for this review, and members are grateful to all the Aboriginal communities, organisations and their representatives who have given their time, assisted with visits and provided valuable insights during these visits. Since I have joined the committee, this review has been a significant focus.

I have come to appreciate the legislative, community and cultural complexities that relate to this area and have welcomed the communities' openness and preparedness to share their stories. I have listened to the lived experiences of Aboriginal people across South Australia. This is a very important piece of legislation, and we will, I am sure, bring the findings of our review back to this chamber in the new year. I have had the great pleasure of being a part of a number of presentations from a number of different communities, and I have to say that the learning experience I have gone through as a part of this committee has been tremendous.

It really is a complex piece of legislation and interacts with different communities in different ways. It is always going to be a problem to find a one-size-fits-all solution, but it was great to hear directly from the people who interact with this piece of legislation and to hear how they feel it either benefits or hinders their living arrangements, their economic development and the opportunities they have on country.

It was great to have so many people willing to come into the parliament to address our committee, and even more people willing to write or prepare a written submission to contribute to the debate to make sure we get this right going forward, because it is an important piece of legislation that impacts many different people.

The committee's commitment to Aboriginal affairs and looking into matters affecting the lives of Aboriginal people extended beyond community visits and witness appearances, with members showing support through attending many key events throughout the year, including the Adelaide Lord Mayor's Flag Raising Ceremony, the NAIDOC SA Awards, the Premier's NAIDOC Awards and the National Reconciliation Week breakfast—all important events for remaining connected to Aboriginal communities and people.

I would also like to make mention that there have been a number of significant losses within the South Australian Aboriginal community this past year. The committee has paid their respects to these families during these difficult times. It was sad to note that the flag was at half-mast when we visited Raukkan recently. We were lucky enough to get a tour of that beautiful town from Clyde Rigney. I had a look around and it is in tremendous shape, with the committee installed there with the help of the executive officer, Jordan Sumner. They do a tremendous job. They have a wildflower export economic opportunity and are growing vast amounts of wildflowers and sending them to overseas places, such as China.

They have a certain amount of land that they also use for economic development through harvesting different crops. Whilst we were out there, we could see those crops growing and, without having any particular expertise on that front, they looked quite healthy from where I was standing. It is good to see an Aboriginal community such as Raukkan continuing to thrive, grabbing the bull by the horns and moving ahead in leaps and bounds. Hopefully, the review of the ALT will continue to empower them to make economic decisions that will benefit their community so they can continue that forward progress into the future.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all committee members, past and present, for their commitment and dedication to the work of this committee. I would also like to thank all the Aboriginal communities and organisations and their representatives who have given their time, assisted with visits and provided valuable insight to the committee during the year. I would like to give particular thanks to the Point Pearce community, the community within the electorate of Narrunga, which is the community after which the electorate of Narungga is named. I particularly want to thank executive officer, Kaylene O'Loughlin, who is wonderful. I can assure this place that she is in constant contact with my office seeking advice and guidance about how she can best aid her community.

I also want to thank Eddie Newchurch, the chair of the Point Pearce council, who is doing a wonderful job after taking over from John Buckskin relatively recently. I would like to thank him for the contribution he is continuing to make. At the NAIDOC Week celebration, there was a poster from the ALT, I believe, and Eddie was the subject of that poster. It was 10 feet high and a beautiful sight to see, with Eddie's beard looking as luscious as ever on that poster. Thank you very much, Mr Newchurch.

Various other members of the committee have been forthcoming with calls to my office, particularly Bessie Buckskin, Ernie Wilson and various others. It is great to go out there. I have spent quite a bit of time at Point Pearce since being elected and it is always a pleasure to go out there. I am looking forward to spending a great deal more time there going forward. Thank you particularly to all the members of the Point Pearce community and those who came in to present: Eddie, Ernie and one other person, whose name escapes me right at this very moment. Thank you for coming in and making a presentation.

In the short time I have left, I would also like to take the opportunity to give extraordinary thanks to committee staff member Shona Reid. She does an amazing job organising the committee. Everything is prepared and the folders are laid out. We have a sleeve to take away with us every time we go to a committee meeting. She does a tremendous job getting everyone organised and making sure that everyone is informed and aware of the happenings of the committee prior to our getting there.

Shona has unparalleled knowledge of the Aboriginal community not just across the state but nationally. She must have spent many painstaking hours preparing a research brief for a national document about the different models of Aboriginal land ownership or care around the country. It has ended up being nearly a 50-page document, with a vast array of different models from around the country. I would like to give particular thanks to Shona for the work she does for the committee. On behalf of the committee—certainly the members of the committee in this place—I say thank you very much to Shona.

In conclusion, it is a great privilege and honour for me to serve on the committee. With such a strong Aboriginal community in my electorate, I feel particularly thrilled to be on the committee and to have an active say in how the ALT is going to interact with their future and economic development. They have quite a parcel of agricultural land that has been harvested this year with quite positive results, so I am looking forward to having a say on the future of the ALT. With that, I commend the Annual Report of the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee 2017-18.

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (11:14): I rise to say a few words because the member for Narungga has comprehensively covered the work of the committee during the term of this parliament. As indicated, a fair amount of work came over from the last term of parliament, especially in relation to the APY lands. Just to paint a very quick picture of the APY lands for some of our newer members, in a geographic sense it is one of the most remote parts of our state. The land mass is roughly equivalent to the size of England but with a population of about 3,000 people, and those people are linked by dirt roads. I would encourage members, if they get the opportunity, to visit this part of the state, to go there and to listen and not, like some people, go there and provide immediate advice. Go there and listen and take your time.

I had the good fortune last year to visit the APY lands on four occasions, and on one of those with the committee. As the member for Narungga stated, there are a number of issues that we are still working through, including policing issues. There has clearly been progress on the lands. There are now police stations in a number of communities, but there are still some issues around communication when things go wrong, and we need to find a more effective way of addressing some of those. Issues came up to do with the Coroner and people who are deceased. One family had a very significant financial burden and we tried to work through some of those particular issues.

It is very pleasing, especially for me as the member for that area, to see the strong bipartisan support, and also state and national support, for the establishment of permanent dialysis on the lands. We are getting closer to that. The latest information I have is that we should see a permanent facility on the lands at Pukatja part way through next year; I think that is going to be warmly welcomed. We should also acknowledge the worthwhile decision at a federal level to provide a Medicare service number in relation to dialysis treatment. That is going to be extended to remote dialysis across the country, and I think that is very positive.

Just after the election was the opening of the art gallery in Sydney as an outlet for some of the artworks from the APY lands. They have been winning awards both nationally and internationally for the sheer quality of their work. The art centres on the lands give you a real sense of confidence, and the sheer quality of the work produced is absolutely amazing. I am one of those people who will admit to being hooked on the artwork from the APY lands, and it is quite a diverse range of art.

Hopefully, the committee will be able to get to the lands early next year because it is always worthwhile to visit, to listen to the issues and to see what we can do to assist. We visited Raukkan just recently. That was a very worthwhile visit. It was the first time I had been to that community and I was very impressed with the entrepreneurial activity occurring there. Given that we have just had Remembrance Day, I think it was incredibly fitting to listen to the stories that we were told about the history and how Aboriginal men from that area went away to fight in the First World War.

There they were, going away to fight in the First World War presumably for freedom, democracy and the rest of it, and they came back to their country, a country that was taken from them, and that justice, freedom and access to land were not there. The European soldiers from Australia who went over to fight came back and were given land, soldier settlements. That was denied to the Aboriginal people in that community and elsewhere, yet they were willing to bear arms for this country despite the history—appalling history in many cases. That was a very worthwhile visit.

I would like to finish on two notes. One is that the main body of work that we have undertaken this year is the review of the legislation around the Aboriginal Lands Trust. A diversity of views has been expressed, so it will be interesting to pull that together and make some worthwhile recommendations. One of the great things about the committee is that it is bipartisan, or tripartisan given a Green is on it as well. We try to work together and reach consensus in a very constructive way. I think that is very worthwhile.

One of the reasons why this is an effective committee is not down to the elected members on it: I have to take my hat off to Shona Reid, the quality of her work, her diligence and her conscientiousness. She is super organised. She keeps all of us in line, and we know what is going on. I cannot sing her praises more highly. Hopefully, the work of the committee will continue on in a constructive fashion, and I commend the report to the house.

Mr DULUK (Waite) (11:22): I also rise to make some remarks in regard to the tabling of the annual report of the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee for 2017-18. The member for Narungga and the member for Giles have both made worthy contributions about the committee's work. We all get very partisan at times in here; a lot of debate and argy-bargy goes on. We have all sat on a lot of committees, but I have to say that, on this committee, most of the time all members worked together for a common goal. I think that is a real testament to the parliament and a testament to the importance that the parliament puts on the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee.

Maybe the title of the committee is something for the committee and the parliament to look at over time, if and when we ever reform our committee structure. The title of the committee is the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee, but we deal with so many more issues than just those that affect Aboriginal landholdings. We deal with a raft of issues pertaining to our First Peoples in Australia and many of the issues that they face as well. Over the course of time, as we look to review committees, hopefully that is one area that can be looked at and improved.

In terms of the work of the committee, as has been alluded to, we are currently reviewing the ALT legislation, the Aboriginal Lands Trust Act. For someone like me, that has proven to be a very insightful series of deliberations. It is certainly an opportunity for the committee to meet some very interesting characters and strong-willed people from across this wonderful state, and that has been extremely beneficial.

In terms of committee travel, as has been alluded to we have been up to Raukkan and Murray Bridge, and I commend the Chair, the Hon. John Dawkins in the other place, for his desire for us to get out into the regions. We are doing that, and I am looking forward to heading up to the APY lands in the new year, hopefully, to continue the good work we undertake there.

I would like to echo the comments made by the member for Giles regarding our research officer, Shona Reid. She has proven to be a fantastic research officer; at every meeting we roll up and all our notes are ready to go. It is a true testament to her ability as a research officer, and it is to the benefit of the parliament. Indeed, in the committee I chair, the Economic and Finance Committee, we have recently had two wonderful new staff members come on board in the roles of committee secretary and research officer, and I said to both those gentlemen that they should have a chat to Shona to see how things are done and the way to prepare for a committee.

Having someone like Shona, Ms Reid, makes the work of the committee so much easier in terms of understanding issues and cultural sensitivities. She is always prepared to brief the committee on the issues she is aware of in communities that may be presenting before the committee and, of course, she is all across the desire for us as a committee to get out and about around the state to visit different communities. I fully echo the comments of the member for Giles and the member for Narungga in terms of her work as committee secretary.

In addition to the work of the committee, in a broader sense the members of the committee have been involved in the Adelaide Lord Mayor's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag-raising ceremony, the NAIDOC SA Awards, the Premier's NAIDOC Awards, the National Reconciliation Week breakfast and the NAIDOC ball. The member for Giles and I are also on the board of Reconciliation SA, which is work that stems from our role on this committee as well.

I would like to thank everyone who has presented to the committee over the last 12 months, with the election and the change of government as well as the change of the committee's presiding member, the Hon. Tung Ngo MLC, in particular, and the Hon. Terry Stevens MLC from the other place, who were on the former committee up until the election in March this year. I look forward to continuing our work on the review of the ALT and to reporting on the progress of that to the house. I think there will be some important changes that will come out of that review.

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (11:28): I rise not as a member of the committee but as a member of this place who has Aboriginal communities within my electorate of Flinders. I follow the doings and the undertakings of the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee very closely, and I compliment them on their work and on the report tabled in the parliament today. Members have spoken with great passion about the work they do on that committee.

I would like to acknowledge the Hon. John Dawkins MLC from the other place, who has taken on the chairmanship of this particular committee, for his work, as well other committee members, three of whom have spoken in this place this morning already, including the member for Giles, who has the APY lands sitting within his electorate. Often when we talk about the APY lands in here we talk about what a beautiful landscape and what a magnificent part of our state it is, and how we should take the time to visit. I have not yet had the opportunity to visit the APY lands, but I am looking forward to having that opportunity and making that visit sometime in the near future. I am not sure whether I am able to muscle in on an Aboriginal lands committee visit to the APY lands, but I know the plan is to visit soon, hopefully in the new year. It would be very nice to be part of that tour if possible.

As has been mentioned, there have been significant changes to this committee, as there have been to all committees in this place following the election. It is a tripartisan committee that undertakes its duties very diligently. In the midst of all these changes, the committee still met and, despite limitations placed on travel for this reporting period (the 2017-18 reporting year), the committee saw this as an opportunity to attend to a number of outstanding matters from the APY lands trip in the previous reporting period in June 2017.

From this trip, the committee called a number of witnesses who provided much-needed attention to areas such as police presence in remote areas, funeral services and coronial services to remote areas, access to dialysis services on country, and a better understanding of the issues faced by community members in the Community Development Program (otherwise known as 'work for the dole') across the APY lands.

In October 2017, the committee commenced its review into the operation of the Aboriginal Lands Trust Act 2013, as per its requirements under section 68 of the same act. This review remains ongoing and we look forward to hearing from more community leaders and members in the coming year. I sat in on a couple of the presentations to the current committee. There was a delegation from Yalata, which included CEO, Desley Culpin; Pastor Russell Bryant, who is Chair of Yalata Community Inc.; and of course the ubiquitous Mima Smart, who is known to everybody and has strongly advocated for the Yalata community over the years. I met with them and the Premier during their visit to Parliament House, so that was quite a thrill for them, for me and, I am sure, for the Premier.

The committee has a statutory obligation to review the operation of three pieces of legislation, all of which have administrative bodies and authorities that manage the day-to-day operation of their acts. The committee discharges this function in part by visiting Aboriginal lands and communities, and by maintaining strong relationships with the Aboriginal landholding statutory authorities by inviting representatives from those statutory authorities to appear before the committee to give evidence.

As I have already mentioned, a review of the Aboriginal Lands Trust Act is underway. There are many diverse views, and I picked up on that when I sat in on one day of presentations. It will be interesting to see the outcome of that particular review. The committee continues to be accessible to Aboriginal statutory landholding authorities and will continue to visit Aboriginal communities with links to these statutory authorities throughout the state. I look forward to welcoming the committee to the Far West of the state, and to Yalata in particular. There are other Aboriginal communities and homelands in the state's west as well.

I understand there was an attempt to visit Oak Valley and Yalata, which are both homes to the Anangu people, who are in fact displaced desert people. The Anangu were displaced after the British bombed Maralinga in the early 1950s. The local Aboriginal population, who were part of the Pitjantjatjara mob, were initially relocated to Yalata in 1952. All probably felt the urge to return home, and some managed to make a new home further north at Oak Valley, which was closer to their lands, some time later. The intention was to visit that part of the state; however, only a few weeks prior to that visit, the committee was informed that cultural business was occurring and that it would not be appropriate for the committee to visit at the time identified.

I am sure the committee is very conscious of the cultural sensibilities around cultural business out of respect for the community's wishes that the committee cancel its scheduled trip. This trip to Yalata and Oak Valley will be a priority trip in the next reporting period. I do not think I will have to muscle in on that one. I will be quite welcome, I am sure, to join the Aboriginal lands committee to visit the electorate of Flinders. We are looking forward to that. Congratulations to the committee. Shona Reid has been mentioned in glowing terms today. None of our committees could do the work we do without appropriate administrative support. Shona is the person who provides that support to the Aboriginal lands committee.

Moving on to some interesting things that are going on in relation to the Aboriginal communities in my district in the west of the state, I have mentioned the Anangu people. Of course, the Mirning people lived out on the Nullarbor and were very involved in trading spearheads, right up through the centre of Australia, and we are only just discovering now how extensive that trading effort was. The Wirangu live on the West Coast. Their focus now is around Ceduna. The Barngarla people and the Nauo people shared the south and the east of the peninsula. Of course, the Kokotha people lived in the Gawler Ranges, most of which is in the electorate of Giles. All have a place on Eyre Peninsula, absolutely.

Interestingly, both the Wirangu people and the Barngarla people are working very hard to record their language before these languages are lost. Much work has been done, particularly in the last half a dozen years or so, to capture the language of both the Wirangu and the Barngarla people. In fact, the Barngarla people even have a phone app now which can be used to determine the local words in the language for those people. Important work continues in preserving the culture, what is left of it, and language is such an important part of that culture—language and land. My congratulations to all those people. Well done to the committee. I look forward with interest to the work we might do in the coming 12 months.

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (11:37): I would like to briefly thank all members who have made a contribution. The member for Giles mentioned the bipartisanship of the committee. It has been pleasing to me, as a new member in this place, that the two committees that I currently sit on both enjoy the benefit of being bipartisan. It certainly makes for a productive committee where everyone can work together and get things done.

I also acknowledge the member for Giles as a continuing member. Referring to that bipartisanship, we call on his experience quite a bit. I think it was that experience that the member for Giles used to be the first one to attend Raukkan the other day. He was there well before everyone else, such was his eagerness to get there, so I commend him for that. I am looking forward to continuing to work together going forward.

I thank the member for Waite for his succinct yet impactful contribution, and the member for Flinders who will always be welcome, I suspect, on a parliamentary committee trip. Thanks to everyone for their contribution, and one more thankyou goes to Shona Reid, who does a tremendous job organising the committee, ensuring we are all there on time and, although we were not at Raukkan, for the most part she makes sure we are all organised. Thank you to everyone for their contributions. I look forward to bringing back to this place the results of the review into the ALT in the New Year and continuing to work together for a positive future for all Aboriginal people across the state.

Motion carried.