Aboriginal Tourism

The Hon. T.T. NGO (14:28): I also have a question for the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. Can the minister tell the chamber about successful Aboriginal tourism ventures in 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) (14:28): I thank the honourable member for his question and his ongoing interest in this area. Frankly, there are many great tourism operations in South Australia, and it wasn't much of a surprise when the travel publication Lonely Planet recently listed South Australia in their top five must-see regions for 2017—the only Australian location to be mentioned.

This state has some truly diverse and exciting tourism offerings, whether it is visiting Kangaroo Island, enjoying one of our many world-class wine regions, whale watching at the Head of Bight or taking in the Flinders Ranges. In my role as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, I am often asked what cultural tourism activities are available in South Australia. Although there are a number of Aboriginal organisations, businesses and people offering unique cultural tourism activities, such as Point Pearce, Scotdesco and Camp Coorong, there is one operation I have had the privilege of visiting a number of times, which has just celebrated a major milestone.

I am talking about Iga Warta which means 'the place of the native orange tree' in the language of the Adnyamathanha people, the traditional owners of the area. I was fortunate enough a couple of weeks ago to be able to take part in their 20^th anniversary celebrations—a great achievement for Iga Warta and the organisation. I think it was 12 or 13 years ago when I first visited Iga Warta with then Aboriginal affairs minister, the late Terry Roberts, and I have heard many people say that returning to Iga Warta feels a little bit like coming back home. That is certainly the feeling that is impressed upon me whenever I go back to visit.

Sometimes there can be tension between keeping Aboriginal culture strong and the need for economic development, but I think what Iga Warta have been able to achieve for two decades now shows that you can do both at the same time. One of Iga Warta's strengths is on display as soon as you arrive in the form of a sign which states: Adnyamathanha Culture…with Adnyamathanha People…on Adnyamathanha land.

Iga Warta is a business run entirely by Aboriginal people, predominantly the children of Clem and Lena Coulthard who decided 20 years ago to return home to their country to set up a tourism operation. Iga Warta is a place that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the oldest living culture in the world. There are many rich experiences that tourists can experience there such as cooking traditional bush tucker, learning about Adnyamathanha culture through music and visiting sites with art dating back many thousands of years.

Twenty years ago there wasn't a single structure, now there are cabins, bunkhouses, safari tents and even a pool. The Iga Warta vision is never complete, and every time I visit there is something new, someone is working away to add value to this tourist operation. Iga Warta's success is the result of two decades of extremely hard work and passion by the Coulthard family, and I pay tribute to their resilience and determination. I encourage anybody who has not been there to spend the time to visit Iga Warta, to enjoy and learn from this tourism experience.