Aboriginal Power Cup

The Hon. T.T. NGO (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. Can the minister tell the chamber about how the government is supporting South Australian Aboriginal students' pathways to workforce participation?

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) (14:32): I thank the honourable member for his question and his particular and ongoing interest in supporting Aboriginal students to achieve their full potential.

Last week, I was proud once again to attend the Power Aboriginal Cup at Alberton Oval, representing not just myself but also the Premier and the education minister. The Power Aboriginal Cup was held for the ninth consecutive year, and I applaud the efforts of the Port Adelaide Football Club for their leadership in this event. Their strong work in the community in South Australia is exemplary and I thank them for their particular commitment to Aboriginal communities in the state.

I know that often when I am travelling in remote Aboriginal communities, from Pipalyatjara down to Raukkan, it happens frequently that I will be told just the week or two before that Pauly Vandenbergh or Wade or other members of their Aboriginal engagement team have been in that community, and I am genuinely in awe of the amount of work that the Port Adelaide Football Club do in Aboriginal communities around South Australia.

The South Australian government also takes great pride in being a supporter of the Power Aboriginal Cup. It is a great initiative. The Power Aboriginal Cup kicked off in 2008 with about 150 high school students from across the state taking part in the inaugural event. The average school attendance record for participants in this inaugural event in 2008 was around 50 per cent. Now the Power Aboriginal Cup has a record number of students participating, something like 400 participants from 48 South Australian schools are competing for glory.

This is not just about getting to have a kick of footy at the Alberton Oval and playing the grand final before an AFL game at Adelaide Oval. The students engage in workshops focusing on making healthy and wise lifestyle choices, leadership and learning about school to work transitions. This enables students to be more aware of the pathways that are available for them once they finish their high school studies.

As I mentioned, the first group of students in 2008 who were competing and playing in the Power Aboriginal Cup had an average school attendance rate of about 50 per cent. Nine years of engagement with schools with this program and the students participating in the 2016 cup have an attendance rate exceeding 90 per cent. The increase in school attendance can be largely attributed to early intervention programs like this one, which engages young people in one of their favourite activities while supporting their journey through high school and beyond, into further education and work opportunities.

Because we know how important football is in many Aboriginal communities, this program has been able to reach into the lives of so many young people. It is not just creating leaders on the football field; it is creating leaders off the football field, potentially in every area of life. I would particularly like to thank Santos for their firm and continued sponsorship of the Power Aboriginal Cup, and also more generally for providing employment pathways for young Aboriginal students.

This year, while I did not get the same pleasure as I did last year in terms of goal umpiring at the cup, I felt more than comfortable leaving that to people like Che Cockatoo-Collins. I must say, the young women for whom I was goal umpire last time—I do not think I called a single point; I was far too scared to do that. They were very fierce competitors on the field.

The grand finalists in the Power Aboriginal Cup get to go head-to-head at Adelaide Oval before the Port Adelaide/West Coast game on Saturday night. I congratulate this year's winners: the Mawson Lakes Eagles for the young men, and Christies Beach High for the young women, for taking home the Power Aboriginal Cup in 2016.

I look forward to future years of the cup, and more success, not just on the field but also off the field, for the students from this year and previous years.