Santos Aboriginal Power Cup

The Hon. T.T. NGO (14:53): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Can the minister tell the council about this year's Santos Aboriginal Power Cup?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:53): I thank the honourable member for his question. I know he is a very big supporter of the Santos Aboriginal Power Cup and a big supporter of football and the Power more generally.

I am proud to talk about the remarkable success of the 2025 Santos Aboriginal Power Cup, a program that continues to transform lives and strengthen communities through the powerful combination of education and support. The program was established in conjunction with the Attorney-General's Department back in 2008 and is run as a joint initiative between the Port Adelaide Football Club's Power Community Limited and the South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy (SAASTA).

The Attorney-General's Department has supported the program across the entire duration, which has seen over 6,500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students involved. This year, we saw the largest Santos Aboriginal Power Cup, now in its 18^th year, with nearly 700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from across South Australia and including a couple of locations from the Northern Territory participating. This milestone not only reflects the growth of the program but also its enduring impact on the lives of young people. The Power Cup is an education-based initiative that engages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary school students in their learning and career pathways, with a competitive AFL carnival as its centrepiece.

To be eligible to participate in the program, students must meet an 80 per cent minimum school attendance requirement and demonstrate strong academic performance This emphasis on education ensures that the program not only promotes physical activity but also fosters academic achievement and personal development.

The celebration of this year's program culminated in a two-day carnival at Alberton Oval and an exciting game day showcase at Adelaide Oval during the Sir Doug Nicholls round. I had the privilege of presenting the Curriculum Excellence Award once again at the pre-AFL game award ceremonies. This award was provided to the academy that submitted the most school work to the highest standard throughout the program, and this year it was won by the Para Hills academy. This recognition is important because, as I said at the awards, it demonstrates that an Aboriginal person's place is not just on the footy field but also as a doctor and engineer, a health worker, a lawyer, a CEO, or a member of parliament.

The Attorney-General's Department has been a proud supporter of the program over its entire 18 years, and I would like to take this moment to thank staff members Kyeshia Love, Emma Chaplin, Jake Highfold and Matthew Rankine for representing the department at the careers expo on 15 May. Congratulations to Power Community Limited and SAASTA for organising another stellar Aboriginal Power Cup, but importantly congratulations to the hundreds of students from all around South Australia and now the Northern Territory who participated. I have no doubt that all the students will be able to take this experience and become future leaders in their communities.