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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-06-07 Daily Xml
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RECONCILIATION WEEK

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (14:33): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. In light of Reconciliation Week (which has just ended), can the minister advise the house how this government is recognising and acknowledging Aboriginal South Australians?

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) (14:33): I would like to thank the member for Little Para for this very important question. Reconciliation Week was marked last week and provided our community—in fact, this place—with the opportunity to reaffirm our collective commitment to reconciliation. This year's theme was 'Let's Talk Recognition'—particularly fitting given the debates we are having around constitutional recognition, and recently the debate we have had in this place around acknowledgement of traditional owners.

This government understands the importance of recognition. That is why in this place I confirmed our commitment, this side of the house's commitment, to the protocol of acknowledging traditional owners, and that is why I have spoken publicly about the need to recognise racism in our community, also. One practical step this government is taking is asking the South Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council chaired by Parry Aigus to provide us with advice about how to tackle racism in our community at a very practical level.

What is clear from talking to members of the council, and other Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in our community, is that this recognition goes a long way in the journey of reconciliation. Indeed, the reaction to the government's commitment to acknowledging traditional owners demonstrates this. This is, of course, in stark contrast to the way in which the opposition reacted to reports of the Victorian—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —Liberal government would be scrapping its acknowledgement in that state. Madam Speaker, I did challenge the Leader of the Opposition to declare—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Norwood, you will be quiet.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Why are you so agitated? She's perfectly relaxed.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for Norwood.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Madam Speaker, I challenged the Leader of the Opposition to declare her position, and she did—good on you—but with barely a moment's thought she agreed with the Victorian Liberal Party's position. That was reported that the acknowledgement is tokenistic and, in her words, as reported in The Advertiser, 'political correctness gone too far'.

I have since noted that the Victorian Aboriginal affairs minister, Jeanette Powell, has now publically stated that the Victorian government will not be scrapping the acknowledgement. Ms Powell said on the ABC:

I don't know why, who put that information out there or where it came from. I just know that it didn't come from the government.

She went on to say that:

There is no confusion that it has caused anxiety and probably some confusion in Aboriginal people's minds as well, because they see that the government has made this change to deliberately do this and, again, the government did not.

I now ask the Leader of the Opposition: does she still consider the acknowledgement—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —mere tokenism? I know—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: I know that the Leader of the Opposition has declared that we are heading into a—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —that the opposition will now no longer be a policy-free—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order. The minister will sit down.

Mr WILLIAMS: I know ministers struggle with question time, but question time is about ministers answering questions, not asking them.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! That is true, but—minister, have you finished your answer?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: I have, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. The member for Davenport.

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