Order of Australia Award Recipients

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. Will the minister inform the chamber about this year's Order of Australia award recipients who represent and work within South Australia's Aboriginal communities?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:51): What a sensational question from the Hon. Mr Maher, and I am very pleased to answer it. The idea, of course, behind the Order of Australia and the list is to identify and recognise role models within our society, and to acknowledge these people for their services and contributions to their communities.

Some award recipients may be well-known personalities—it certainly will not be the Hon. Mr Ridgway in the future, if I have anything to do with the nominations—but most are people who have quietly dedicated years of their life to a particular cause without drawing too much attention to themselves. By highlighting their contribution—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Mr President, the Hon. Mr Ridgway is suggesting that he should be nominated for a job in the Fringe. I am not sure what his acting abilities are up to these days. However, I will come back to the important question that was asked of me. By highlighting their contribution we help to define and encourage the values and ideals that we, as a society, aspire to.

Among the many Australians who received awards in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, announced recently, there are four outstanding South Australians who were recognised for their services and contributions to the Aboriginal community: Ms Marjorie Tripp, Mr Vincent Copley, Mr James Hignett and Dr Lewis O'Brien. These four South Australians have dedicated their life to improving conditions within Aboriginal communities and teaching South Australians about Aboriginal culture and heritage.

This government is proud of its achievement in Aboriginal affairs, and I am proud that we and this parliament recognised the first peoples of South Australia in our state constitution last year. I am proud that we are designing special legislation—the first of its kind in Australia—to recognise the self-determining governance structures of Aboriginal nations in South Australia and their unique cultural identity. These achievements would not have been possible without constant dialogue and interaction with the Aboriginal communities to inform, help and guide us, and the four people I am speaking of today have played a very important role in establishing and maintaining this dialogue.

Ms Marjorie Tripp was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for her service to the Aboriginal community through the promotion of improved aged-care and health outcomes. Ms Tripp was the first Aboriginal woman to enlist in the Navy. She was 17 when she signed up for the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service in 1963. She is possibly most well known for her tireless work to ensure that Aboriginal members of the armed forces receive the recognition they deserve. For years she lobbied and fundraised, and chaired the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander War Memorial Committee, which led to the establishment late last year of a memorial down on the Torrens Parade Ground.

Ms Tripp has also been a strong advocate for health and aged-care services for Aboriginal people, and after she left the Navy she studied social work and built a career working with the Aboriginal affairs department. Her work focused on the impacts on women of issues such as petrol sniffing and domestic violence. For much of the eighties she chaired the South Australian branch of the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, as well as playing a part in establishing Adelaide's Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute.

Another deserving recipient, of course, is Mr Vincent Copley AM. He was appointed Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service as an advocate for the improvement of social, legal and economic rights of Aboriginal people. Mr Copley is a respected elder of the Ngadjuri people of South Australia and was the inaugural national secretary of the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. He has been politically active since the late 1960s, I am told, and I understand that one of his many great achievements was to be involved in establishing legal aid for Aboriginal people in South Australia. Mr Copley is also an accomplished sportsperson, having been recognised for his talent as both a footballer and a cricketer.

I turn to Mr James Hignett, who received a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the Aboriginal communities in South Australia. Mr Hignett began working at the Australian Education Union in 1979 and was instrumental in the development of the Australian Education Workers Award in 1987.

We recognise the importance of education in empowering Aboriginal people to achieve their goals and also educating the broader public about Australia’s first peoples. Ensuring that there are fair conditions for Aboriginal people to enter the education field plays an incredibly important part. Mr Hignett has been enormously generous with his time in this regard.

As a board member of Reconciliation SA, he was involved in producing an education pack for Reconciliation SA that is a useful tool for schools today. He is also a member of the Register of Aboriginal Veterans of SA and a member of the South Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War Memorial Committee, to name a few of his commitments.

I must now turn to Dr Lewis O’Brien, who was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of distinguished service to the Aboriginal community of South Australia as an elder and educator, as well as for the promotion and protection of Aboriginal culture and heritage. Uncle Lewis O’Brien, as he is known to many, is a respected and very proud Kaurna elder. He has dedicated much of his life to preserving and growing the Kaurna culture. His activity within the community has helped educate people from all across the state.

Most of us would have had the pleasure of being welcomed to country by him on many occasions in his very wonderful unassuming manner. This is reflected in the way Dr O’Brien responded to receiving his award. He said, 'The recognition is nice but for me it is more about getting the recognition of Aboriginal people and the work being done.'

The wonderful thing about these four outstanding South Australians is that their first thought is always about the wellbeing of their community. These very deserving recipients demonstrate the way a single person can make our society and community a better place by using whatever talents they possess and giving up their time for their communities.

I would like to congratulate all the South Australian award recipients on behalf of this parliament and thank them for the difference they make and for inspiring all of us to contribute our time to make this place better for everybody.