Reconciliation Breakfast

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (14:56): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Will the minister inform the council about South Australia's annual reconciliation breakfast for 2024?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:56): I thank the honourable member for his question and his interest in this area. I know that many people in this chamber have been very interested in being attendees over many years, including yourself, sir, at Reconciliation South Australia's annual reconciliation breakfast.

I had the opportunity to talk to Karen Mundine, who is the head of Reconciliation Australia, who is a regular attendee at our breakfast, as she was again this year. She informed me it is by far the largest of its type of event anywhere in Australia. This year, I was advised that the breakfast was the highest attended that Reconciliation South Australia has ever put on. At 7am at the Convention Centre on the Monday of Reconciliation Week, in excess of 2,800 people attended the breakfast, quite a remarkable turnout.

The breakfast was formally opened with a welcome from Aunty Ros Coleman and had a very large array of talented First Nations speakers and performers. The event was MC'd again, as it was last year, by television and film actor Luke Carroll, whom many people would probably be more familiar with as a host of Play School, amongst many other things that Luke does. There was a powerful keynote address from the multitalented Yorta Yorta musician Adam Briggs, better known as the rapper Briggs.

The breakfast attendees were also treated to an amazing array of talented acts, like the dance group Of Desert and Sea, and the morning was finished out with the APY lands outfit Dem Mob who, if they are not already, will soon be on their way to North America to play, as I think I have mentioned before, in New York and Toronto, amongst other places.

This year's breakfast was the first we have had since the passing of Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue. With the help of her family, a short memorial clip was played to the audience with a live rendition by Aboriginal artist Rob Edwards of one of Lowitja's favourite songs, We Shall Overcome. It certainly was a fitting way to recognise such an instrumental South Australian leader who had a profound effect on our nation. I think Dr O'Donoghue was one of the first patrons of Reconciliation South Australia when it started.

It was a great pleasure once again to speak as part of that breakfast on behalf of the government, outlining some of the nation-leading initiatives we are taking in Aboriginal affairs. I would like, as I did on the day, to recognise the role of Reconciliation South Australia, particularly over the last six months, for its strong leadership, often having difficult and tough conversations and holding organisations accountable for attitudes and looking at ways to help change society for the better. The role of Reconciliation South Australia and Reconciliation Australia is just as important if not more important than it ever has been and is very fitting with this year's Reconciliation Week theme, 'Now more than ever'.

I would like to place on the record my very great thanks to Reconciliation South Australia and its CEO, Jason Downs, and its co-chairs, Helen and Jeremy, for all the great work that they do and the time that they give up for this important movement and organisation.