Nunga Court

The Hon. I. PNEVMATIKOS (14:24): My question is to the Attorney-General: will the minister inform the council about the Nunga Court celebration marking the 24^th anniversary since the first sitting of the Nunga Court?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:24): I thank the member for her question. As members of the chamber would remember, in September last year the government introduced a bill in this place to implement an election commitment to provide the Nunga Court of South Australia with a formally recognised place by legislation in the justice system.

After debate, the Magistrates Court (Nunga Court) Amendment Bill passed both houses of parliament and commenced on 1 March this year. The passing of that bill was a significant occasion to recognise the work that the Nunga Court undertakes in South Australia's justice system with Aboriginal people.

The Nunga Court provides for Aboriginal elders and respected persons having a voice in the courts to facilitate culturally appropriate sentencing processes. The first Nunga Court in South Australia began 24 years ago on 1 June 1999 in Port Adelaide, with the Murray Bridge Nunga Court being established shortly after in January 2001. As I said when introducing the bill that gave the legislative backing to the Nunga Court, those Nunga Courts at Port Adelaide and Murray Bridge respectively were the oldest and second oldest specialist courts for sentencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people anywhere in Australia.

There are currently three Aboriginal courts that operate on the Nunga Court model, with the first two that I've mentioned in Port Adelaide and Murray Bridge still operating, and the Maitland Narungga Court which commenced operations only recently in 2021. I would like to thank His Honour Magistrate Chris Vass SM as the inaugural magistrate on both of the original courts, Port Adelaide and Murray Bridge. He was instrumental in their establishment and I commend him for his pioneering work.

In honour of the 24 years that South Australian Nunga Courts have been in operation and to commemorate the legislative backing of the operation of the courts, Aboriginal elders, together with the Courts Administration Authority staff and judicial officers who have contributed to the continued success of the Nunga Court, gathered recently at the court in Port Adelaide to acknowledge and celebrate the strong continuation of the court and its recent enshrinement in legislation.

I would like to acknowledge and pay tribute to all those involved, particularly including Aunty Yvonne Agius, who has been involved with the Nunga Court since it first commenced and who continues to play a critical role in its operation and in the lives of many Aboriginal people. I also particularly thank Mr Aaron Zammit, the manager of Aboriginal programs within the Courts Administration Authority, who continues to do a considerable amount of work in relation to the Nunga Court and who facilitated the consultations that were undertaken particularly in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court when the bill was being developed. It was good that both Aunty Yvonne and Aaron, among many others instrumental in this work, were able to be at the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court recently to celebrate the occasion of the 24^th year of its operation.

I would like to place on record my heartfelt thanks to all those who have contributed to the Nunga Court's functions, and I look forward to celebrating the Nunga Court's thriving existence in another 24 years.