Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about a great Australian, a great role model and a great advocate for his people. Mr Yunupingu dedicated his life to building bridges, breaking down barriers and serving the interests of his people.

Born in 1957 in Arnhem Land of the Yolngu people, Mr Yunupingu had a record of firsts. He was the first Indigenous person from Arnhem Land to receive a university degree—an arts degree. He went on to become the first Indigenous school principal in Australia in 1990. He was, though, as we all know, made famous for his music. In 1986 he co-founded the band Yothu Yindi. Through this medium, he managed to transform the musical landscape. Yothu Yindi took traditional Indigenous music and swept the mainstream. Using infectious tones and melodic rhythms, they had suburban families singing about land rights issues and Indigenous welfare. Spanning a 12-year career, Yothu Yindi released six major albums. These albums received high acclaim. winning eight ARIA awards, including the Song of the Year for Treaty. Last year, Mr Yunupingu was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in recognition of his musical achievements. In recognition of his service to connecting Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, Mr Yunupingu was named Australian of the year in 1992.

Mr Yunupingu died at the far too young age of 56 at his home in Yirrkala, Northern Territory. He leaves behind him a wife and six daughters. The sad and untimely passing of this Australian icon again raises the grave issues facing the Indigenous community when it comes to health and life expectancy. It is not acceptable in a country such as ours with our great wealth that Indigenous Australians have to live with their current standards of living and those of the Indigenous community who live in remote and rural Australia face considerably shorter life expectancy. It is quite wrong that we have in this country Third World health conditions. There is so much that we can do to make a difference in this space, and we must not stop until we achieve the results that we need to. For now, though, we pay our great respects to this great Australian—a leader amongst men and a true inspiration for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike.

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