Spirit Festival

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:02): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. Can the minister inform the council about how Aboriginal culture was celebrated at the Spirit Festival?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (15:02): The Spirit Festival is in its eighth year and continues to grow as a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. The Spirit Festival started in 2008 as one of the Labor government's social inclusion initiatives and it has matured into a stand-alone annual showcase of the best of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

The six-day event provides opportunities to see Aboriginal dance, music, theatre, arts and literature, and the opportunity to participate in workshops of all sorts, from face painting for kids to learning to cook bush style. Presented by Tandanya, the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Arts South Australia and Adelaide City Council, this year's Spirit Festival entertained thousands of people who came to experience this free and open event.

I attended the Spirit Festival on Saturday with my family and would like to acknowledge Karl Telfer and the Paitya Dance Group, who opened the day with traditional words of dance and welcome. The welcome included a spirit fire where the audience was invited to come up and be cleansed through ceremony and smoke. The performance at the start was very moving, with both young Aboriginal men and women participating in a dance that showcased Kaurna heritage and culture.

Following the welcome, the festival really got going with a number of workshops, including songwriting with Robert Champion, theatre with Natasha Wanganeen and Pulgi Wodli making with Allan Sumner, which provided attendees with the opportunity to learn how to make traditional Aboriginal shelter using branches, leaves and sticks. Taunondi College was represented at the festival with a native cooking and tasting class. Nancy Cook led a Torres Strait Islander weaving workshop that gave attendees the opportunity to make skirts, headbands, armbands and bowls.

Of course, no Spirit Festival is complete without a big concert on the Saturday night. Past performers have included big names such as Jessica Mauboy and Dan Sultan, and this year's headline act was Casey Donovan. I was able to see some of the music performances during the afternoon. There were other standout musicians such as the Noel Bridge Band, Lady Lash, Philly, Troy and Dean Brady, and many other bands and individuals.

The Spirit Festival provides an opportunity to showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture to the rest of South Australia. There are so many reasons why the culture should be cherished and displayed. It is the oldest living culture in the world and it is great to see so many South Australians at this time of the year with so much going on availing themselves of the opportunities.

The Spirit Festival was developed so that Aboriginal South Australians could showcase artistic performances and creative endeavours in order to teach younger members of our community, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, about the value of embracing culture and heritage. It proudly works to promote and celebrate cultural knowledge and identity.

The Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute is the official host of the Spirit Festival and a fantastic venue for such a thing. Tandanya plays a key role in preserving and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture and in providing opportunities for the broader community to gain exposure and understanding so that we can all join in the important work of celebrating and protecting this culture. I pay tribute to Klynton Wanganeen and his team at Tandanya. Klynton also spoke on the Saturday of the festival.

All these elements, such as the Spirit Festival, are an important part of progress towards reconciliation. I thank and commend all the performers and all the organisers who contributed to this year's Spirit Festival. Their dedication in promoting culture makes an important contribution to our whole community especially in terms of the crucial task of preserving and celebrating culture.

I pay tribute to the chief executive of Tandanya, Timothy Richie; creative producer of the festival, Angela Flynn; and the MC on the day, Natasha Wanganeen, who many people would recognise from her performance in the film Rabbit Proof Fence. I look forward to next year's Spirit Festival and hope the community continues to embrace this important part of the Fringe agenda.