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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-10-13 Daily Xml
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Fregon Children and Wellbeing Centre

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (15:15): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Can the minister advise the house on a new facility on the APY lands supporting children to get a start to their education?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for the Public Sector) (15:15): I thank the member for his question and for his commitment to the ongoing welfare of Aboriginal communities on and off the lands. As members will recall, I recently visited the APY lands, which was my first visit as an adult, and very much enjoyed seeing the ways in which education in particular, and support for early childhood, is adding to the quality and security of that community and its future.

In particular, one of the reasons I attended at that time was to participate in the opening of the Fregon Children and Wellbeing Centre. I would like to pay tribute to all those involved, particularly from the community, who really insisted that we make such an investment. It was an investment that was a contribution not only by my department but very significantly from the federal government. The Fregon Children and Wellbeing Centre was built by the Army, and it was delightful to see that the two Army men who came back to be part of the opening were so impressed with the way in which it was flourishing post their departure.

Very briefly, I would also like to draw the house's attention to Pollyanne Tjunkaya Smith, who is an Aboriginal education worker of some 30 years' standing. I would like to pay tribute to her work, which started 30 years ago in an informal way—making breakfast porridge for children before school to make sure that they not only came to school but that they were able to study with a full belly—and culminated in her getting a Bachelor of Education. She is a very impressive woman—a woman who has shown enormous commitment to her community in Kaltjitji—and I was most impressed not only to meet her but also to be part of the opening of that centre.

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