Elders and Empowerment

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:52): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs regarding the Elders and Empowerment oral history. Will the minister inform the council about the recent launch of the Elders and Empowerment oral history project as part of History Month?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:53): I thank the honourable member for his question and I would be most delighted to do so. I recently attended the City of Port Adelaide Enfield's and Junction Community Centre's launch of their exciting and moving new project as part of History Month, entitled Elders and Empowerment.

South Australia's History Festival, held in May each year, is an annual statewide event that explores South Australia's history through its places, spaces and people. The theme for this year's history festival is power. The City of Port Adelaide Enfield's local history team, together with Junction Community Centre and North East Community House, have channelled that theme into their exhibition Elders and Empowerment, which explores the stories of six exceptional Aboriginal female leaders and their insights into what empowerment looks like in their lives and their communities. Through a stunning photographic exhibit and audio interviews with each of the women, the stories are powerfully told in their own words.

Of the six senior Aboriginal women, Aunty Audrey Dix is one of the people whose story is told. She is a Ngarrindjeri woman from Raukkan and speaks in her interview about the role that education and the family environment plays in empowerment, having been removed from her family as a child and not receiving the education that she deserved. Aunty Audrey is making these things a priority for the next generations as a means of empowering them.

Aunty Daisybell Foster is originally from the Northern Territory and in her interviews in the exhibition cites valuing Aboriginal language and culture as keys to empowerment for herself and all First Nations people. Aunty Jean Pinke is a Binjari woman from Bordertown, who grew up in challenging conditions on an Aboriginal reserve. Aunty Jean says in the exhibition that her family relationships empower her as well as the support that she now gets from the Aboriginal Grannies Group.

Aunty Jeannie Lehotski is a Noongar woman, originally from Western Australia. A member of the stolen generations, Aunty Jeannie says that the older women placed on missions with her made her feel empowered by passing on cultural practices to her, which she now does for the younger generations after her. Aunty Pamela Keefe is a Ngarrindjeri woman from Raukkan. She describes in the exhibition her career, goal setting and eventually buying her own home as things that have empowered her.

Finally, but certainly not least, Aunty Yvonne Agius is a Kaurna and Narungga elder who would be well known to many members here. I have spoken about her in this place a number of times. She speaks in the exhibition about being empowered by her mother growing up, who fought for Aboriginal rights, as Aunty Yvonne continues to do today. Aunty Yvonne says that she draws empowerment from continuing to help others in her community.

Meeting with all of these women and celebrating their achievements at the launch was a distinct honour. There was a lot of respect and admiration as the women in the room had their stories told, and deservedly so. I would like to thank each of the women for sharing their stories and insight and for lending their voices to the History Festival to ensure that their perspectives are heard, amplified and marked in a very permanent way as part of this state's history.

I also want to thank Cindy from the Port Adelaide Enfield local history team, Vanessa from Junction Community Centre and Farrah from North East Community House for their work in putting this excellent exhibition together. It runs until 31 May at the Port Adelaide Visitor Information Centre, and I would encourage everyone to do themselves a favour and get down and have a look.