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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-09-28 Daily Xml
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Rymill Park Sculpture

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Will the minister inform the council—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Both sides, order! Minister! Attorney and the Leader of the Opposition, lead by example.

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN: Will the minister inform the council about the A Place of Reflection in Rymill Park, which was recently opened by the City of Adelaide?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:03): I thank the honourable member for his question and his interest in this area. It was a privilege to attend the recent launch of the A Place of Reflection at Rymill Park, hosted by the City of Adelaide.

The A Place of Reflection is a public artwork acknowledging the ongoing trauma felt by members of the stolen generations and a site to promote healing and reconciliation. It was a project of the City of Adelaide, which I am proud to say was supported by a $100,000 contribution from the former state government through the Stolen Generations Reparation Scheme.

As members would be aware, the Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme was an important initiative of the previous Labor government and recognised the many injustices done by governments and institutions of the past. The scheme provided grants both to individuals and for projects such as this. It was launched during my previous term as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in 2015, with an $11 million funding commitment. This project, A Place of Reflection, is just one of the projects that were funded through the scheme and an example of the important work those funds have contributed to.

For many Aboriginal people, the pain and trauma of the stolen generations continues to affect their daily lives. The A Place of Reflection is one way in which this can be publicly acknowledged and in which we can facilitate healing and through which we can recommit ourselves to ensuring that these sorts of things never happen again.

The centrepiece of A Place of Reflection is a remarkable sculpture created by Aunty Yvonne Koolmatrie and Karl Meyer. Aunty Yvonne is a Ngarrindjerri elder and artist, exceptionally well known internationally for her weaving, which is an important part of traditional Ngarrindjerri culture. The A Place of Reflection sculpture is made in the woven style of Aunty Yvonne's work and depicts a woman cradling her arms, with her baby missing. As Aunty Yvonne pointed out to us on the day, the woman is missing her eyes, mouth and ears—a symbol of what was taken away from families when their children were stolen. The site also features a steel coolamon for use in ceremony, and seating to provide a place for reflection and healing.

At the launch, we were welcomed to Kaurna country by Jack Buckskin and his son. Aunty Yvonne shared stories about her experiences and the people whom she supported over the years. Alex Hill, a survivor of the stolen generations, spoke generously about his experiences of learning about the culture and the family he was taken from. Also present were Nunkuwarrin Yunti's Link-Up team, providing support during the discussion of difficult and traumatic topics. I would like to commend the City of Adelaide not only for this project but for their ongoing commitment to reconciliation. This is true not only for the current council, led by Lord Mayor Dr Jane Lomax-Smith, but also for previous councils.

Through measures like this we can continue to recognise that the stolen generations happened and that it was institutions such as these that created the environment and the laws that inflicted some of the worst pain on Aboriginal people in our history. All of us have work to do in the healing and the reconciliation process, and I know the A Place of Reflection will be an important part of that process for many years to come. I thank all those in the project for bringing it together.

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