Adelaide Fringe Festival, Indigenous Performers

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Will the minister inform the council about some of the First Nations artists performing at this year's Fringe?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:51): I thank the honourable member for his question, and would be most happy to. It is a question I look forward to getting; I am often surprised to get it, but I always look forward to getting questions from members about this time of the year about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are taking part in the Fringe Festival.

There are some absolutely outstanding First Nations artists performing during the 2025 Adelaide Fringe Festival. I will go through some of the ones that are coming up, because I am sure many members would be keen to avail themselves of those, but I am going to start with what will be disappointing to many members, and that is the performance that occurred on Friday and Saturday nights just gone, which unfortunately people will have missed, at the Kaurna Living Cultural Centre at Marion.

Paul Ah Chee, an Arrernte artist who has been performing for decades, led a band performing with his son Roland Ah Chee on lead guitar—who, although slashing on the guitar, did not get a single hair out of place. Rohan Carmody, an Arrernte man was on the drums, and Nate Rigney, a local Ngarrindjeri man was on bass guitar, with Bianca Levai, a Yankunytjatjara woman, and Tjunkaya Ken, a Pitjantjatjara woman, also singing. They performed a range of original songs, finishing up with the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil, which brought the pretty significant crowd into raptures at the end.

Unfortunately for members they have missed that one, but there are some excellent events coming up. There are The Garden Sessions at the Garden of Unearthly Delights from 15 February to 22 March, with emerging First Nations musical artists such as Bec Gollan, Rob Edwards, Katie Aspel, Sonia Smith, Kenneth Wilson and Cat Carter there every Saturday afternoon.

Also, taking place on Saturday 22 March down on the banks of the Coorong is the Dupang festival, which I have had the pleasure of attending a couple of times. I encourage members to head on down there as part of the festival, roll out a swag and, once again, be led by Uncle Moogy Sumner and Aunty Ellen Trevorrow, focusing on cultural events. In the past there has been clap stick making and weaving with Aunty Ellen, and then cultural and festival sessions in the evening with dances led at Long Point/Dupang by Uncle Moogy.

There is also the Dusty Feet Mob from around Port Augusta, who bring their performers, young people aged between six and 31—and 31 is now a young person to me, sir, and I am sure to you as well—who use the power of dance, particularly, to tell stories of the stolen generations. I am sure many members have been at Sorry Day breakfasts or other events where they have seen the Dusty Feet Mob perform.

Probably the most exciting event, perhaps, of this year's Fringe is Umeewarra Downtown Aboriginal Music Festival on 15 March in Port Augusta. It is a family-friendly event and it is priced very competitively, so much so that I think even the Hon. Russell Wortley would attend: it's free, absolutely free to go to. Listen to the line-up for this event, the Umeewarra Downtown Aboriginal Music Festival: Dem Mob from the APY lands, a hip-hop outfit who have performed in this very building, in the old chamber of Parliament House just last year, just before they went on to perform, I think, in Toronto and New York. I know that members of this chamber have seen Dem Mob perform at Umuwa on the APY lands last year, an absolute up and coming trio.

Next, TCD himself, the legendary country music singer-songwriter, Troy Cassar Daley is performing; with Nancy Bates, award-winning musician and 2025 Fringe Ambassador; and Warren Milera, a Narrunga and Adnyamathanha country music singer-songwriter star. If that wasn't good enough, the Iwiri choir—many members of the APY community who are living in Adelaide for various reasons including for medical treatment will showcase their multigenerational choir that I know many members of this chamber have indulged in before.

These acts will be supported by people like Katie Aspel, Eddie Peters, Ellie Lovegrove, Tyson Fielding, Udi Mathanha, Rob Edwards, Sonya Rankine, the Red Wing Band, Flinders Country, Sound Factory, and the MC with the most, who is regularly in South Australia hosting events, Luke Carrol, who many people know from Play School amongst other things that Luke Carrol has hosted. This year is an absolute cracker for First Nations performers at the Adelaide Fringe and I would encourage as many members of this chamber to do themselves a favour and get involved.