Ministerial Statement

Rigney, Dr Alice

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) (14:20): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I rise today to speak about the life and significant contribution Dr Alice Rigney has made to the South Australian community. Dr Rigney was a Kaurna and Narungga woman and grew up at Point Pearce on the Yorke Peninsula. She was a passionate supporter of education, not only for her own children, but for all children. Dr Rigney was also a strong inspiration to generations of Aboriginal children in this state and has shaped the lives of many through her work.

From a very young age, Alice knew the importance of education and, despite all the barriers that were presented for a young Aboriginal girl at the time, persevered. Despite most Aboriginal children at the time not even being given a basic education, Alice's determination and hard work gave her the opportunity to leave Point Pearce and finish her schooling at Unley Girls Technical High School in Adelaide.

Dr Rigney was a passionate supporter of education, not only for herself or her own children but for all children. It was for this reason that Alice began working as a teacher's aide in Aboriginal mission schools around the Yorke Peninsula. She thrived in the classroom and went on to complete her Diploma of Education through the University of South Australia. Alice never looked back and her career went from strength to strength. She broke through glass ceilings and was the first to do so many things that were elusive and out of reach for Aboriginal people who came before her.

Dr Rigney was a pioneer, leader and trailblazer. She was one of the first Aboriginal people to work in the Department for Education in the 1960s and was the very first person to join the administrative ranks of the Department for Education in 1985. Just one year later, in 1986, she became the first Aboriginal female principal in Australia—an outstanding achievement. She remained at the helm of the Kaurna Plains School for 11 years.

Dr Rigney was recognised for her leadership and commitment to education with an Australia Day Honours Public Service Medal in 1991 and received her doctorate from the University of South Australia in 1998. Officially retiring from teaching in 1997 did not stop Dr Rigney from mentoring and shaping young people's lives in this state. She was involved with South Australia's Guardianship Board, Aboriginal Education and the Training Advisory Committee for a number of years. Dr Rigney was also a tremendous champion of language and culture and was highly influential in promoting and reviving Aboriginal languages.

Dr Rigney's legacy lives on through her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and, perhaps more influentially, the 5,000-plus Aboriginal children whose lives she touched through the education system and through her lifetime's work to ensure that future generations of Aboriginal people would no longer suffer discrimination through unequal access to education.

I send my thoughts to Dr Rigney's family during this difficult time, and I am pleased that they have accepted the offer to have a state memorial next month.