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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-03-09 Daily Xml
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ABORIGINAL WOMEN

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:34): Can the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation inform the house how the achievements of South Australian Aboriginal women are being recognised?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers, Minister Assisting the Premier in Social Inclusion) (14:35): I would like to thank the member for Florey and acknowledge her tireless work in advancing the cause of reconciliation in our community. Today, I had the pleasure of attending the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —2011 International Women's Day Centenary Award Luncheon at the Adelaide Convention Centre, and I was given the honour of presenting the Gladys Elphick Award. It is an award that recognises inspirational Aboriginal women. I will go straight into some of the lucky recipients. Neva Wilson was presented with the 2011 Award and the Perpetual Trophy for her work in the recording of cultural heritage, Aboriginal family histories and genealogies.

Three other women were presented with the Gladys Elphick Award for their contributions to the community: Raylene Snow for voluntary services in the arts, Gwenda Owen for voluntary services in community work, and Dr Alitya Rigney for lifetime services to education. This important award is named in honour of the late Kaurna-Narungga woman, elder and leader, Gladys Elphick. It is an award given by ATSI women to ATSI women in their community.

Auntie Glad was an eminent South Australian and received an Order of the British Empire in recognition of her work in Aboriginal welfare. Auntie Glad and her peers were able to overcome tremendous barriers to ensure their families and communities could have a fair go, be treated respectfully and equitably and share in the prosperity of this state and nation. We are still extremely lucky to have with us some of those pioneering women, women like Shirley Peisley, Maude Tongerie, Professor Lowitja O'Donohue, Faith Thomas and Natascha McNamara.

The challenge for all of us in this place is to encourage more Aboriginal women to take up the work of Auntie Glad, and her peers, and to assume leadership roles not only within Aboriginal communities but within the wider community. It is my role as minister to promote a number of voices of Aboriginal women, and that is why late last year I took the opportunity to appoint Khatija Thomas, a young Aboriginal woman, as one of the commissioners for Aboriginal engagement. Khatija will be—and I am deeply confident of this—an important part of getting other young women involved in the challenges that we all face.

We are well aware of the alarming facts: Aboriginal people, on average, live 17 years less than non-Aboriginal people; infant mortality is three times higher in the Aboriginal community; Aboriginal students are half as likely to stay at school until the end of year 12. The challenge for all of us is to close the gap.

The Gladys Elphick Award is an important part of recognising and supporting the work that Aboriginal women are doing in their community. I am sure that all members in this place share this goal and offer their congratulations to today's outstanding recipients.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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