Country Cabinet

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (14:30): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. Can the minister advise the council of his recent meeting and engagement with Aboriginal South Australians in the north of South Australia?

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) (14:30): I thank the honourable member for her question and her interest in these areas. As members would be aware, country cabinet recently sat in some of the northern areas of the state. The cabinet meeting itself, I think as has been previously outlined in this chamber, was in Quorn. As part of country cabinet I undertook a number of meetings and community visits in the Aboriginal affairs portfolio areas. In Port Augusta I was very appreciative of the Port Augusta community engagement group making time to meet me on a Sunday morning. It is not always the best time to meet groups, but I was very grateful that people met me on a Sunday morning.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: Did you go to church first?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The Hon. John Dawkins asked did I go to church first? No, I didn't have time to go to church; I was too busy meeting groups, I'm afraid. The Port Augusta community engagement group was established in 2011 as part of the Urban and Regional Service Delivery Strategy, a COAG-led initiative as part of the Closing the Gap initiative. This group is a community nominated group that represents the Aboriginal community in and around the Port Augusta region.

I previously met with that group on previous meetings to Port Augusta, and I think the last time before this that I met them was in the council chambers with the local member, Dan van Holst Pellekaan, and I was appreciative of the time that he took for both of us to meet with the group previously. It is an indication, I think, that certainly in the area of Aboriginal affairs, most of us regard it as a bipartisan area where we try to look for common ground and solutions.

During the most recent meeting in Port Augusta, we discussed a number of commonwealth and state government initiatives, and I was able to provide the group with an update on the Aboriginal Regional Authority Policy. Again, I extend a very warm thank you for meeting me on a Sunday morning.

Also while in Port Augusta, I had the opportunity to meet with Malcolm McKenzie, better known to the community and most of his friends and colleagues as Tiger. It was good to catch up again with Tiger McKenzie at Davenport, as I have often done. Tiger discussed with me the community views and the consultations that are going on about a potential partial dry zone for the community. That idea will be going to a vote, as I understand it from discussions with Tiger, in the near future.

Tiger McKenzie is a passionate advocate for his Davenport community. During our meeting we discussed things like employment opportunities for Aboriginal people with new and expanding industries such as the ones we have mentioned here today already, like Sundrop Farms. I commend Tiger's leadership and commitment to his community, and I look forward to catching up with him again soon while I am in Port Augusta.

Following the cabinet meeting, a number of specific forums were held in Leigh Creek with organisation and business leaders, including a tourism forum. At that forum, tourism leaders discussed the increasing potential of tourism opportunities in and around the Leigh Creek region. Tourism operators raised the opportunities that increased tourism could have in the region, particularly showcasing the South Australian outback. Also, a lot of people talked about the opportunities for showcasing some of the world's oldest living culture to international and Australian visitors alike.

The Flinders Ranges are the traditional home of the Adnyamathanha people. Their lands, running east from the edge of Lake Torrens through the northern Flinders and approaching the South Australian border with New South Wales, are home to some absolutely exquisite scenery, particularly the northern Flinders and Gammon Ranges area. There is little doubt that there are great tourism opportunities for Aboriginal businesses in the region to showcase their land and their culture and provide economic opportunities for Aboriginal people. These issues were raised as part of the tourism forum held at the country cabinet's visit.

I also had the opportunity again to visit Iga Warta, the place of the native orange. It is an Aboriginal business that invites tourists to experience Adnyamathanha culture with Adnyamathanha people on Adnyamathanha land. Iga Warta's backdrop is among the mountains of the northern Flinders Ranges and it is owned, managed and staffed by Aboriginal people. While in the region and at Iga Warta, I had the opportunity to meet again with Terrence Coulthard, who attended the Leigh Creek tourism forum. He also provided a moving welcome to country at the community luncheon as part of the country cabinet. I enjoyed his hosting me when I stayed overnight at Iga Warta.

Iga Warta is just one example of the many current and future opportunities the region has for Aboriginal people, particularly in the tourism area, to really mark South Australia as a destination of choice for interstate, intrastate and international visitors looking for a real outback experience and a deeper understanding of the oldest living culture on the planet. I must particularly thank the Coulthards for their hospitality and the delicious kangaroo lasagne then quandong ice cream that we had for dinner that night.

Leaders from areas like Copley and Marree talked to me about opportunities that are possibly there. I was very pleased to also spend time at the Nepabunna community to talk about issues that are affecting the Nepabunna community and just to hear some of the stories I had not heard. For example, I heard that almost 100 years ago a young missionary worker visited the Nepabunna community and learnt and honed his skills in making boots from one piece of leather.

A very young R.M. Williams started plying his trade at the Nepabunna community before moving sometime later to Percy Street, Prospect. There were photographs around from those early mission days when R.M. Williams was in that Aboriginal community that he originally came up to do mission work at. There are some very interesting stories and some very real opportunities for Indigenous tourism in that area. I thank all those who took the time to meet with me.