Umoona Art Centre

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:37): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in regard to the Umoona Art Centre opening. Will the minister inform the council on his attendance at the recent opening of the Umoona arts gallery in Coober Pedy?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:38): I thank the honourable member for the question. It was a privilege to be able to attend and be part of the official opening of the Umoona Art Centre very recently in Coober Pedy. Over many years I have met with Aboriginal leaders from the Umoona Aboriginal community just outside Coober Pedy, leaders such as George Cooley, Joanne O'Toole and Deano Walker, to name a few, who have regularly advocated for the community's desire for a purpose-built arts centre.

In 2020, through the drive of local Aboriginal leadership at Umoona, an art centre was established. Up until now the centre was unfortunately limited to artists working in workspaces in a run-down basketball court which in the summer was unbearably hot and often in the winter in that part of the world unbearably cold. Before 2022, and from opposition, my support for this project was unfortunately limited to an advocacy role. However, soon after the election I was very pleased to announce that this state government would fund in partnership with the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation a total of approximately $1 million to make a purpose-built Umoona Art Centre a reality.

The building has separate indoor spaces for women and men and a central collaborative area with views of the surrounding country. It is worth highlighting that Umoona arts has made an extraordinary impact on the contemporary arts industry in Australia and abroad just in the mere two years that it has already been in operation. There has been a very significant uptake of local Aboriginal artists participating in honing their skills. I am advised that there are somewhere between 45 and 55 artists from the Greater Coober Pedy Aboriginal community.

Some artists have already begun to make quite a significant presence on the national stage. George Cooley has twice been a finalist in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Awards (NATSIAA) along with Keith Minunga. Myra Kunatjayi and Jeannie Minunga, Kay Kay Finn and George Cooley have also been finalists in the prestigious Wynne Landscape Award prize awarded by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

I have seen the progress of the build over the past couple of years, as I visit Coober Pedy many times, often on the way to the APY lands, and it is a pleasure now to see a fully functioning, purpose-built arts centre for local artists to paint, record and share thousands of years of culture, whilst also enabling a pathway for economic participation. I am very proud to have been a small part of that journey with many locals.

It was a pleasure recently to be accompanied at the official opening by the then Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, and the member for Giles, Eddie Hughes. It was also a great pleasure for so many locals who played a big role in my life: ngayuku tjamuku, ngayuku puprl, godfathers and members of the family, by ceremony.

I want to congratulate all who are involved and give a special acknowledgement to the community leaders for their years of advocacy. I look forward to continuing paying close attention. I commend any colleagues from this chamber or the other travelling through Coober Pedy to spend some time and drop into the new purpose-built Umoona Art Centre.