Premier's NAIDOC Award

The Hon. I. PNEVMATIKOS (14:24): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Will the minister inform the council about the deserving female winner of the Premier's NAIDOC Award?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:25): I thank the honourable member for her question and her interest in this area. The NAIDOC lunch is certainly a highlight in the calendar for many during NAIDOC Week. It was, once again, a great pleasure to attend the event this year, alongside a majority of my cabinet colleagues, who attended the NAIDOC lunch on the Monday of NAIDOC Week, as they did last year.

The theme of this year's NAIDOC Week was 'For Our Elders', an acknowledgement of the role that elders have played and continue to play as holders of cultural knowledge, advocates, teachers, survivors, and so much more. NAIDOC Week was once again a very busy week for many involved, and from I think nearly everyone's perspective a very successful one. A number of events celebrated and recognised the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, one being the NAIDOC lunch on the Monday.

The centrepiece of the annual lunch is the presentation of the Premier's NAIDOC Award, amongst a number of other important awards. As I shared with the council last year, the Premier's NAIDOC Award is now presented to two individuals each year—one Aboriginal male and one Aboriginal female. It is awarded to a person who is recognised as having performed outstanding achievements and services to Aboriginal people in this state.

Today, it is a great pleasure to inform the chamber of the female winner of this year's Premier's NAIDOC Award. This year, like every year, there were many exceptional, deserving finalists, but eventually the award was presented to Aunty Eunice Aston. Aunty Eunice is a Ngarrindjeri woman and has undertaken some excellent work over many years in the Aboriginal healthcare sector. Among a number of other roles, she has also served as chair of the health advisory committee and as a member of the Aboriginal Health Council and as a member of Country Health SA Aboriginal Health Forum.

Aunty Eunice is also a champion for Aboriginal women, having served on the Premier's Council for Women for a number of years and as a delegate for the Office for Women's South Australian Aboriginal Women's National Gathering. She was also awarded a 12-month Indigenous scholarship for the Behind Closed Doors program, an initiative supporting female entrepreneurs to fulfil their professional and leadership development aspirations.

Aunty Eunice also uses her knowledge to develop the skills of others by training and mentoring organisations like TAFE SA in areas such as Aboriginal health care and wellbeing. Her extensive knowledge and experience is invaluable when engaging Aboriginal people, particularly in country areas, including the necessary skills to maintain respect, honesty, integrity and confidentiality.

Aunty Eunice was also the first female to be chair of the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority, demonstrating the significant leadership and respect she holds within her community. She is a NAIDOC SA ambassador and is active in working with the community to celebrate the Aboriginal culture and achievements. It is hard to imagine a more deserving winner of the award this year, yet alongside Aunty Eunice were two other female finalists who also contribute much to the lives of Aboriginal people in South Australia.

Danielle Smith was nominated as a finalist for her work at the community level, particularly in the South-East Nunga netball program, which she helped get up and running, and in her ongoing work as the chairperson in this area. Danielle is always willing to help others and does so by connecting those in her community with services in order to improve their lives.

Fellow finalist nominee was Professor Simone Tur, who has dedicated herself to the betterment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in two powerful and connected ways—through arts and education. She was the inaugural Pro-Vice Chancellor of Indigenous Studies at Flinders University, and in this position nurtures the intellectual and cultural development of generations of Aboriginal students. She has many achievements, particularly academic achievements, to her name, which will take some time to go through, so I won't in this forum.

I congratulate all the finalists for the female Premier's NAIDOC Award, with special congratulations to Aunty Eunice Aston, who I have known over many years. I have long marvelled at the work she does and the esteem with which she is held in her Ngarrindjeri community and the Aboriginal community more broadly.