Parliamentary Committees

Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee: APY Lands Visit

Debate resumed.

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (11:17): Well done to the member for Narungga. I think that was a very comprehensive coverage of the visit to the APY lands. In fact, he has said most of the things that I was intending to say, so I will not go over them apart from to dwell on a number of issues that are perennial issues in the APY lands.

One of those perennial issues is the economic base in the APY lands and the constant feedback that we get from people who have lived there for many years—from many of the elders—about jobs for our young people. It is really challenging in such a remote location when it comes to providing an employment base. People forget that, on top of that remoteness, it is a vast area. In terms of land mass, it is the size of England, with around 3,000 people connected largely by dirt roads, so it is different from most of our vast state.

The potential opportunities all come with their own level of complexity. The member for Narungga mentioned Metals X and the exploration effort that has been going on for many years when it comes to nickel and cobalt deposits in the Far West of the APY lands. There might well be an opportunity for a similar deposit where most infill exploration was done and they have established the JORC reserve at Wingellina over in Western Australia. If that particular project does get off the ground, and given the demand for cobalt at the moment for a range of reasons, and given the demand for nickel, which is usually associated with the cycle of the steel industry, it might well make it easier for the potential project in Western Australia.

I think it is entirely right that the people on the APY lands have the power of veto when it comes to mining on their land. It is, after all, their land. So companies have to work in an incredibly sensitive way with the community, and the community will have its own internal debate about what they see as the way forward in relation to potential mining opportunities. It is one of those things where, if it is handled right and it does have a social licence to operate, it might well provide jobs for people on the APY lands.

The member for Narungga mentioned the Trade Training Centre and Mark Connelly. During the term of the previous government I had discussions with our then education minister, Susan Close, about the incredibly important role that Mark Connelly plays at the Trade Training Centre and the need to do continuity planning when considering the ultimate replacement of Mark Connelly. He is not going to be there forever and a day, and the work that he does goes over and above what you would normally see. The success of the Trade Training Centre has not just been down to the participants; it has been down to the extraordinary work that Mark Connelly does and his commitment to the people of the APY lands over many years.

The member for Narungga touched on another important issue. You have a number of service providers up in the APY lands. It is a complex mix, and I sometimes wonder whether it should be such a complex mix of service providers. You get service providers that are in and out. One of the really important things about the APY lands is over time building up relationships, so when it comes to the continuity of work that is provided by some of the important agencies over there, we need to seriously look at the short-term funding and the short-term contracts that are provided, and this has been an ongoing issue.

This bleeds over into other areas. We have people dealing with, say, profoundly complex child abuse issues, and we have people dealing with generational and intergenerational trauma and all of the complexity around that, yet the people with some of the necessary expertise that are employed might be there for just a one-year contract. So we need to get to that continuity.

It does bleed over into the education department. The contracts there are generally of a longer term nature, and there are incentives, but the incentives ultimately run out. Say a new teacher, just graduated, goes up to the APY lands, they have the various incentives in place for a number of years, but by the time they get the experience necessary those incentives run out.

There are challenges in teaching up there, but there is also great reward for people who become part of the various communities in the APY lands. So, whatever government it is, we need to really look at some of these issues about continuity of contracts and ensuring the contracts that are in place provide that stability and that capacity to develop relationships over time.

Housing was touched upon. Housing is one of those other perennial issues, with overcrowding on the APY lands and a range of other issues. It is very expensive to build in the APY lands, but housing is at the source of a number of the other problems experienced in the APY lands.

I want to finish on a positive note. One of the sources of private income when it comes to the APY lands is obviously the arts centres. It has been said by artists elsewhere in the nation that there are more international artists in the APY lands, on a per capita basis, than anywhere else in the nation. Much of the work that is produced in the APY lands is world class. That is why it appeals to galleries and buyers overseas. Of course, the APY Art Centre Collective now has a presence in Sydney as well as a presence here in Adelaide, and there has been talk—and probably more than that—about a major gallery here in Adelaide to exhibit the high-quality work produced in Aboriginal communities.

One of the other things that needs to be done, when looking at these arts centres that do such a fantastic job, is invest in those arts centres in the APY lands and invest in housing for some of the people who work up there as managers. There are a number of issues there, and we should not be looking at spending a lot of money just here in Adelaide; some of that money needs to go back to the grassroots where the art is generated.

It might well be that we could see more APY art here in Parliament House as one way of supporting the fantastic work done up on the APY lands and elsewhere in South Australia by Aboriginal communities. On that note, I conclude.

Mr DULUK (Waite) (11:25): I will not take up too much of the house's time, but I echo many of the words the member for Narungga has put on the record as well, of course, as the member for Giles. It was my first time up in the APY lands and it is a most magnificent and beautiful part of South Australia. The vastness is incredible and, obviously, the cultural history of thousands of years is magnificent.

The way they play footy up there is very different, and I note the Premier was up there recently as well having a look around and was at one of the footy games. I think it was when we were in Amata, if I am correct, that we had a look at the footy oval—absolutely pure red dirt with a white line and people out there having a kick and catch. It was a long way away from Bob Neil No. 1, which is, of course, University Oval No. 1, in terms of a footy oval, but it is a truly remarkable part of South Australia with fantastic people. Everyone we met on the trip was extremely hospitable, and they opened up and were very welcoming of the committee—of course, a bipartisan committee—which was fantastic.

As the members for Giles and Narungga both highlighted in their contributions, it is a part of South Australia that is not without many, many challenges. Employment is certainly a huge issue, as is the tyranny of distance in terms of employment. Places like the trade centre, with the work they do there, are a fantastic investment by government in terms of assisting people with employment. However, employment, health and education are the three biggest issues up there.

When we were in Mimili, we looked at the school community there and some of the teaching methodology on the lands, accounting for the vastness and the cultural and linguistic differences, which are real challenges up there. As both my colleagues have commented, there is an issue of continuity of people working in the health profession and people working in the education sector on the lands and as a government and a service provider of education we are, as we should be, ensuring that continuity of teaching and that relationship building over a period of time with people on the lands.

From a bureaucracy point of view, the more we can do, especially in the education space, is fundamentally and critically important in ensuring we can lift completion rates of students on the land. There is also the ability to share the importance of education, and it is interesting to see what Noel Pearson is doing in his Cape York Institute. It is very much a change in teaching methodology in Cape York, really going back to the basics of the 3Rs that is central to the Cape York Institute's thinking on education at the moment. We are seeing success in completion rates by students in Cape York in Far North Queensland, and I would be very keen to see if there are any similarities that can be drawn out for the APY lands and, indeed, for all remote schools across South Australia more broadly.

Another big concern on the APY lands is health. Access to health care is important, obviously in dealing with some long-term trauma historically around substance abuse and sexual abuse, which are still concerns to many right across South Australia, but in particular on the lands. That was certainly mentioned by many people to us, especially by some traditional owners, traditional elders and many of the women we spoke to as well. It is very much an important issue and it is one we have to deal with as a society because, as always, looking after those who are vulnerable is paramount to all.

Some of the other great highlights on the trip were, as the member for Giles reflected on, looking at the art centres and the fantastic export of art from the APY lands, not only into Australia—and there is an APY gallery on Light Square—but internationally as well by those world renowned artists. It was a fantastic trip to the APY lands. I encourage all members of the house, if they have a chance, to go up there to learn about the culture and that beautiful part of South Australia, but also so that we can educate ourselves about the many challenges that are faced up there and how together as a parliament and a government we can address many of the challenges that are before us.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (11:31): I rise to support the motion and thank the member for Narungga, and indeed the entire Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee, not only for the report that has been prepared to enlighten us as members of the parliament but for their attendance and for making those observations and bringing that information back to the parliament. It is very important that this committee be the eyes and ears of the parliament to ensure that we are kept contemporary with what is happening on the lands and to report the key issues back to us.

While they were visiting in May, one very important thing was happening on the APY lands, and that was as a consequence of the women from the Western Desert area and APY lands viewing on their televisions, as we all did, the tragic circumstances that occurred in a mosque in Christchurch in New Zealand, the sister city of Adelaide. Not only were they, too, moved by this but they wanted to ensure that there was communication of their pain that they shared with many of the families in Christchurch when this despicable act of murder had occurred.

They set about coming together to produce the most exquisite piece of artwork, a very large piece of artwork, which I later learned represented the flowers they wanted to send to the people of Christchurch. Flowers are often a symbol of memorial in relation to one who is suffering grief in circumstances and they replicated the flowers in a massive dot painting. For example, they had pale lilacs in there, which they explained to me later were representative of grevillea, but they also happened to be the colour of what is the most beautiful flower of the region and in the Northern Territory, which is the desert rose. All these beautiful colours and the stories in relation to people coming together to convey their support and sympathy were captured in this beautiful piece of artwork.

I want to commend the Premier for not just asking me but allowing me to go to Christchurch recently with three of the many artists who had come together to present this gift to the Mayor of Christchurch in the presence of families and leaders in their communities who had suffered directly and also in the presence of some of the indigenous New Zealanders of Maori descent. It was a very moving occasion. It was highlighted by the speeches of three of the artists to explain their gift of love and support to the people of Christchurch.

For those who have not visited Christchurch in recent years, as our sister city it has of course received our support in the wake of the shocking earthquakes that it suffered. It is a city that has been rebuilt. It has grown up out of the ashes. Most of the buildings now are at a limit of seven storeys and on a new type of engineered support structure to be more able to accommodate earthquakes and movement in the buildings and therefore their salvation in the event of those events occurring in the future. It is a city that obviously had been very badly damaged by these natural events and then, more recently, devastated by the loss of life—some 51 murdered and 49 seriously injured.

Our hearts are with the people of Christchurch. This was a very moving occasion. The people of the APY lands—all of them—and the families of those women, many of whom contributed to this piece of work, should be congratulated. I do so, I think on behalf of everyone here in the parliament, to recognise this very important and generous gift from the many women on the APY lands who acted immediately. They were doing those paintings while the committee was there; they have been delivered, the people of Christchurch are appreciative and we should be very proud of them.

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (11:35): As I hope is no surprise to this house, as the member for Stuart I have very deep engagement with Aboriginal people and communities, but the APY lands are not actually in the electorate of Stuart; they are in the electorate of Giles, represented by my colleague across the chamber. Nonetheless, this is part of the state that every South Australian and every South Australian member of parliament should take interest in, should be very proud of and should also be very aware of the significant challenges that exist and want to make a contribution to supporting Anangu who live on the APY lands.

I suggest that there is no-one more committed to that than our Premier. The Premier of South Australia has taken it upon himself to also be the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, which is a tremendously positive step not only with regard to recognition but also with regard to progress and getting things done. The Premier has established the South Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council, which has been invited to meet face to face with cabinet to participate in a cabinet meeting twice since the Premier and our team came into government. There is no other group that has met with cabinet twice in the same way the Aboriginal Advisory Council has. I think that is, again, a very important recognition of the importance of work that our government wants to do in this area and also a very practical approach to getting on and getting some results.

With regard to results, the Premier has also established an Aboriginal Action Plan. This is not only about the Aboriginal lands, but it is largely about the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands. It is a plan that is meant to support Aboriginal people all over the state, but of course many of the actions refer to that part of the state specifically. I am reminded of one of the comments the member for Giles made about short-term contracts, and I agree with him on that. It is very difficult when you have challenges that have evolved over decades and will take a very long time to turn around with people on fairly short employment contracts.

Extending those employment contracts, though, is not the only part of the solution because, as well as that, you need to find people who want to do the work for a very long time. I pick up on the example the member for Giles used of a teacher who might have a one or two-year contract and then, when the person is really starting to hit their straps with regard to educating Aboriginal students, the contract is over and so they go.

Even if it were a longer contract, a lot of teachers would choose to leave then anyway, but some would choose to stay longer. So it is not only about the structure: it is actually about the people involved. I know there are good people all around the state who want to contribute, whether it is in education, health, law and order, transport or recreation and sport. People in the APY lands deserve all the different things that government can contribute as much as anybody else does.

Our government is very committed to actually getting results—not just having policies, or just making announcements, or just making headlines in the paper. We are actually trying to get some results. Every member of our cabinet is tasked with some of the actions of the South Australian Aboriginal Affairs Action Plan. The Premier comes to us and asks, 'How are you going, minister? How is your department going? What have you achieved? Are you on track? Are you going to achieve what I have asked you to achieve?' so there is a very strong focus.

In my department (Department for Energy and Mining) we have an enormous amount to contribute. We have a program entitled Stronger Partners Stronger Futures, which is all about trying to share the tremendous employment and wealth-creating opportunities that energy and mining—but I have to say more predominantly mining—and potentially the petroleum industry have to offer to this part of the state. We want those opportunities to be shared with Aboriginal people. At the moment, very little mining can be done on the APY lands. I am very hopeful that this will change over time, not only for our state's overall economy.

We do need to improve our economic performance; the Premier has also set a very clear 3 per cent economic growth target. Mining resources and other portfolios will play a very important part in that. We want to expand our mining industry so that we can contribute to the state as a whole through the creation of jobs and wealth, and through royalties. We received $300 million through mining royalties in the last financial year. Those royalties go towards building schools and hospitals, paying nurses, teachers and police officers, building roads and bridges, etc., and providing disability support services.

As well as that, we want those opportunities to be shared with people who live and who, in the future, can work on the APY lands. One of the most fundamental challenges for all of us in regard to the APY lands is: how do you support people economically and socially, and enable them to continue to live on their homelands? This is where they want to be. This is where they can best practise culture and live in harmony with country. How can you do all of those things when there are very few employment opportunities in that area?

Fly-in fly-out has been tried. It is a very good opportunity for many Aboriginal people; however, no different from the non-Aboriginal population, fly-in fly-out is not for everybody. Quite understandably, there are a lot of people on the APY lands who do not want to spend essentially half of their time away from the APY lands. That is no different from somebody who lives in Adelaide or Port Augusta or Port Lincoln or Mount Gambier. A lot of people who live in those areas do not want to be away from their homes either.

So how do we go about trying to do this? Firstly, respectfully and, secondly, practically. In my mind, we need to start with exploration. There is no point going through what is almost always a difficult process, even just in regard to effort, and sometimes all the way through in regard to heartfelt social issues that need to be addressed. You would not put people through those challenges if you did not know that there was actually something there to mine.

It seems that there is a lot of mineral wealth in the APY lands, but we need to have greater opportunities to confirm that so that we can put on the table the types of opportunities that could then be available to and accessed by Aboriginal people who live on the lands. Then, we can start the real discussion about whether or not they want to do that.

Interestingly, this is not an Aboriginal issue. We have these challenges all over the state. We have these challenges everywhere in South Australia in regard to trying to weigh up the opportunities of mining versus weighing up whether a community welcomes it. This is a human issue that we need to address, that we need to deal with respectfully and responsibly by considering the benefits and the wants of the individual people and families in an area and also the benefits and needs of the state.

It is also interesting to point out that we are going through a very similar thing in regard to the Woomera Prohibited Area, which is traditionally an Aboriginally inhabited part of the state. We are going through it not with the Aboriginal communities; we are going through it with the defence department, and they do not really want too much mining on the Woomera Prohibited Area either.

Just as I respect Aboriginal communities' opinions, I respect the defence department's opinions as well. But I view the Woomera Prohibited Area in exactly the same way as I view the APY lands. We want to see what is there so that then we can start to actually weigh up the pros and cons. I see many opportunities that mining could bring to the people of the APY lands, and I want those people to have the opportunity to consider whether those benefits are things that they would like to actually allow to happen and actually be able to grasp for themselves.