ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER WOMEN

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:12): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question regarding the empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: The State Aboriginal Women's Gathering was held on 22 and 23 October at the Grand Chifley Hotel in Adelaide. The theme of this year's gathering was empowerment. Can the minister inform the chamber about the 2013 state women's gathering?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:12): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. I was pleased to be able to speak at the 2013 State Aboriginal Women's Gathering dinner held on Tuesday 22 October. This is the fifth year that I have attended and it is always a night of very frank, open and honest exchange and passionate conversation. I have to say that I always enjoy those forums.

This year, more than 40 Aboriginal women came together in Adelaide and it was fantastic to see so many there who had travelled from very remote and country areas to attend, such as Mimili, Mount Gambier, Yalata, Ceduna, as well as metropolitan Adelaide. That was for two days of workshops, presentations, networking and community planning. The gathering heard presentations from the Commissioner for Aboriginal Engagement, Ms Khatija Thomas, South Australian Commissioner for Equal Opportunity, Ms Anne Gale—on the National Racism Strategy—and South Australian NAIDOC Week award winner, Kaylene O'Loughlin. I understand they also enjoyed an oration from my colleague the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

As the honourable member mentioned, the theme of this year's gathering was empowerment. I was very pleased to be able to speak to the women in attendance who were taking a lead in empowering their communities and themselves as leaders. It is of the utmost importance that all women are given the opportunity to take on leadership opportunities within their community, to participate, to contribute and to make a difference.

The relationship between women's empowerment and their ability to enter positions of leadership is not one that can be understood either in a professional context or within communities. The State Aboriginal Women's Gathering not only encourages knowledge and skill sharing but also supports women in being able to take up the challenges in their communities and continue to work towards organisational and social change.

The gathering is a key event for government, non-government and community to come together each year to acknowledge the gains and achievements that have been made and also to focus attention on the things that still need to be done—and there are many. It also provides a platform that facilitates more Aboriginal women in leadership positions and brings us closer in our pursuit of closing the gap on Aboriginal disadvantage.

Also in attendance at this year's gathering was Ms Pat Waria-Read, the inaugural recipient, from 2011, of the Women Hold Up Half The Sky award and Lucy Evans, the 2013 recipient of the same award. Women Hold Up Half The Sky is an Australia Day Council of South Australia award acknowledging the contribution of outstanding women in the community. It is the only award within the Australia Day awards that specifically recognises the contributions that women make to the community. The award acknowledges inspirational South Australian women and forms part of a strategy to increase the nomination of women to national and state awards and honours.

Ms Waria-Read is a Ngadjuri woman, and she was honoured with the Women Hold Up Half The Sky award for her contribution to her community at a local, state and also national level. Ms Evans, a Narungga woman from Port Pirie, was honoured for her involvement in Aboriginal health in the region for over a decade.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind honourable members that nominations for the 2014 Australia Day Council of South Australia Women Hold Up Half The Sky awards are now open and to put forward outstanding women you know who make a significant contribution to their community. I am advised that nominations for this award close on Friday 6 December 2013, so there is plenty of time. I am sure that everyone in this place would know at least one exceptional person who would be suitable to put forward as a nomination.

As I said, I would also like to encourage members to put forward deserving women who would like to develop their leadership capabilities to the YWCA SHE Leads program. I have previously spoken in this place about the state government's financial support for the YWCA SHE Leads Conference, which was held in August. I am advised that the SHE Leads program has been a fantastic success in progressing the personal and professional goals of young South Australian women, and nominations for that particular program close on Friday 8 November.

The State Aboriginal Women's Gathering—Delegate Elected Working Group and Office for Women have been working together to provide opportunities to develop and discuss the tools that enable women to empower themselves, their families and their communities, and I would particularly like to thank and acknowledge them for their very hard work over the last 12 months to ensure that this year's gathering was the great success that it was.