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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-06-06 Daily Xml
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David Tonkin Scholarship

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (15:11): It is with pleasure that I wish to inform the house today about the David Tonkin Scholarship that is awarded annually to 16 to 18 year olds, either resident, working or studying within the electorate of Bragg. The Tonkin Scholarship rewards youth achievement, aspiration and community service, in addition to honouring the memory of my esteemed predecessor, the first member for Bragg, the Hon. David Tonkin, former premier and treasurer of South Australia from 1979 to 1982. I am eternally grateful for the ongoing support in this endeavour of Mrs Prue Tonkin, who attends the Tonkin Scholarship ceremony each and every year and presents the winner with a small gift.

Dr Tonkin exemplified the best of public service. After a distinguished career as an eye surgeon, he was moved to stand for parliament to advance public health outcomes and safeguard rehabilitation programs for youth offenders. He was a fierce proponent of equal rights and opportunities, having drafted the first Australian bill to outlaw sex discrimination, and he supported fellow Liberal Murray Hill in his bid to decriminalise homosexuality. In his early life, he was raised by his mother, who was a single parent.

As premier, he extended the scope of his original antidiscrimination legislation to include disabilities. When he came into office, land rights and negotiations for the Pitjantjatjara people had stalled and he made the decision, not universally popular in the party at the time, to continue them. He met 100 Pitjantjatjara people at Victoria Racecourse, the first time many of them had ever travelled to Adelaide.

In October 1980, on the traditional lands of the Pitjantjatjara people, premier Tonkin signed an historic agreement granting to them over 100,000 square kilometres—over 10 per cent of the state. He was the first Australian premier to grant land rights to Aboriginal people. For context, this was 12 years before the High Court handed down the Mabo decision. As part of this agreement, mining proposals needed to be negotiated with Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people, who would receive a share of any royalties. Their sacred sites would be respected and any disputes from them needed to go to an arbitration tribunal. We now call this land the APY lands.

His involvement and work with the South Australian Aboriginal communities went beyond the enactment of native title. As a doctor and medical specialist, he was greatly concerned with the abysmal health outcomes of the Aboriginal community. He continued to visit the lands after he retired from parliament to treat preventable eye conditions, such as glaucoma. My friend the member for Newland reminded us last week that there is still much work to be done in this area.

It will come as no surprise to members that I share Dr Tonkin's values and outlook and that I wish to foster these in the next generation of leaders. Every year, I cherish reading about the 1,001 brilliant achievements of our state's youth and why they aspire to lead a life of public service. I am also constantly uplifted by the many and varied ways in which they can contribute.

This year, I am pleased to announce the winner of this year's David Tonkin Scholarship is Zoe Chalmers of Seymour College. She has given outstanding service to her community and achieved remarkable academic results. Like Dr Tonkin, Zoe has a thirst for social justice, and she tutors newly arrived migrant and refugee children in the vagaries of English at Gilles Street Primary School. I am sure all members of this house join me to commend Zoe and others like her who welcome and assist these new Australians in finding their feet.

Zoe wishes to undertake a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne after taking a gap year—she has certainly earned it with what she has done in her own short lifetime. While the thought of losing South Australia's best and brightest to Melbourne or even London always saddens me, it is unquestionably to our benefit if they return to South Australia with fresh eyes and knowledge as to how our state can progress.

I am proud of all the achievements of our Tonkin scholars, and I keep in touch with many of them as their careers have developed. I am certain that with their academic capabilities and liberal values they will be leaders in this state and possibly in this parliament one day, too. Congratulations, Zoe.

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