Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the Ngunawal and Ngambri people, here in Canberra and pay respect to elders, past and present. I want to recognise too, back at home, the traditional owners, the Dharug, in which the electorate of Chifley sits. I want to pay my respects to them and thank them for their custodianship.

Today I particularly want to acknowledge the surviving members of the stolen generation who, for so many decades, spoke their truth without recognition. That they persevered to expose the injustices they suffered deserves our utmost respect but also our thanks. As a country we are better and stronger when we acknowledge our history, imperfect as it may be, and work together to build something better. The Leader of the Opposition expressed this so well the other day, when he said:

If you just talk about the problems you're accused of not looking at the successes, if you talk about the successes you're accused of not understanding the problems. It is a mixed record, I understand that.

But one thing I know is that when we work with First Australians, when we genuinely empower First Australians to take control of their lives, when we don't have top-down but bottom-up decision-making we will get it right more than we will get it wrong.

We can't be afraid of change if we intend to act; we will only fail if we don't. When there is so much to improve, action is essential.

I also want to recognise the determination and decency of many in the previous Labor government who were absolutely focused on the need to ensure that we did not just say sorry but that we acted to improve the lives of so many who had been affected. I want to place on the record my thanks to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and also the support that he got from the member for Jagajaga, Jenny Macklin, who had for many years been championing this cause. As I reflected with her the other day, it would be tremendous to be part of a national milestone, in the way that so many people were, but also to do something that was right and was a long time in coming.

This parliament is at its best when it speaks with a sense of unity and respect, when it's acting for all Australians and when it's looking to the future. I believe that as we reflect on the apology we see parliament doing just that. The apology acknowledged our past. It was a crucial step in moving forward together. Recognition by the Prime Minister allowed and encouraged more Australians to share and voice the same sentiments. The apology is a moment in our country's history that I certainly hold close to my heart, as many others do, and I've had the honour of representing the Chifley electorate during that period.

I've never failed to be amazed and inspired by the work of a variety of Aboriginal groups in the Chifley electorate. There are the traditional owners of the land, the Dharug people, but also Indigenous peoples from all over Australia who now call the suburbs within Chifley home and contribute to our vibrant community. I'm honoured to call elders like Uncle Greg Simms, Uncle Wes Marn, Auntie Jenny Ebsworth and Auntie Rita Tobin my friends, and people who I rely upon for counsel and advice. As I reflect on the apology, 10 years on, I can't help but think of the generous response from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, which is, in some ways, the more remarkable act. These proud communities have led the spirit of healing over many years and provided a true service to our nation. In Chifley, this exemplary leadership has been demonstrated in many ways. I'd like to touch on some of these now.

A big event is the reconciliation walk and concert every May, which spreads the message of reconciliation, gives a meeting place to honour Indigenous elders, provides a stage for artists and encourages young people to enjoy a few moments to display their blossoming talents.

Chifley's got the largest urban Aboriginal population in the country. Many Aboriginal people in the electorate are either members of the stolen generation or their direct descendants. The apology made by former Prime Minister Rudd was an enormously healing moment for many in our electorate and they continue to commemorate this historic occasion. This year the walk will take place for the 21st time, led again by Mount Druitt and District Reconciliation Group and its many volunteers. The spirit of the event makes it one of the most significant dates for me personally every single year. I look forward to continuing my involvement, and I would certainly encourage people that live within the electorate of Chifley to get involved and share in the celebration. While recognising our past, I'd also encourage local businesses to get behind the event, which attracts so many people each year; it's such an important date in our community calendar.

Every day in Chifley there are programs and people working to support our Indigenous population and our community more broadly. Ngallu Wal centre, for example, provides outreach services, Centrelink support, financial management support and legal advice. There is also a supported playgroup with activities and engagement for parents and children. It's reaching out further into the community as it develops its new youth drop-in centre. It will provide arts, crafts and indoor and outdoor sport and supervision for young people in our area. It will no doubt be very successful and I wish them all the best with this project. They recently expanded to offer mental health services as well as a baby health service, which is fantastic. These are invaluable services and I congratulate them.

Marrin Weejali is another instrumental organisation, supporting the community by providing one-on-one and group addiction services, combating addiction for people struggling with that in our community. They are providing chronic care for those suffering long-term illnesses. I also want to mention Butucarbin, who are continuing their great work providing TAFE accredited access to work and training, and Aboriginal cultural arts courses. They're also holding a debutante ball, which will return this year. I know it's an event the community enthusiastically gets behind.

Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation, founded by five Aboriginal elders from Western Sydney, is another group providing an incredible service. It was set up with the purpose of connecting individuals and families in a welcoming environment. It provides counselling and advocacy, and hosts invited speakers and a homework club as well, which is a terrific initiative. This is by no means all the excellent work being undertaken in the electorate, but I do want to place on the public record my thanks and the thanks of many grateful people for that work.

With the release of the Closing the gap report there are positives to be drawn from outside the Chifley electorate. I welcome some of those improvements that have been celebrated in this year's report. It has been said already that it's heartening to see the reduction in child mortality and the improvements in childhood education back on track. Year 12 attainment remains strong. But these improvements simply aren't enough. We know the statistics are far worse for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community than for the rest of society. For the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, the education rate is lower, life expectancy is lower and income rates are lower. At the same time, chronic disease rates are higher, the percentage of the prison population is higher and the percentage of homelessness is higher. So we have a lot to do.

That's why I welcome the announcement by federal Labor on approaches we have set ourselves. For example, we have said that we'll establish a stolen generations compensation scheme to support intergenerational healing. We have listened to First Australians who have called for justice targets to reduce incarceration rates and we have called on the government to urgently sign up to the remote Indigenous agreement with the states. We will also hold a national summit for our first-nation children.

I want to make these closing remarks. Closing the gap is not a statistical ambition. It is designed to bring the nation together with a sense of unified purpose to right wrongs and build better futures. It is important we all work together on this, but I cannot fail to reflect on two unfortunate events that occurred this week. First, when the parliament was supposed to be together in the House of Representatives to hear the Prime Minister's speech, we had a near full representation from the opposition and we had a strong representation from the coalition. As soon as that speech was over, the bulk of the coalition left, and that was disheartening. I said 'bulk'; I noted the presence of certain members during that speech. As I said, this is about national unity; it's not a time for partisan politics. We should all be there together.

The other thing—and I think the Prime Minister's well aware of this—is that his failure to attend the national breakfast yesterday recognising the 10-year anniversary of the apology was something that saddened a lot of the participants there and was reflected upon publicly. Again, it doesn't matter what your politics are. The Prime Minister and the coalition are doing some good things to address closing the gap. There are other things we can do better. But it doesn't matter about your politics. This is a sense of national purpose, that something that had been done badly in the past will be committed to by all of us to be corrected in the future. That's all I'd say on that, but, again, we look forward to better outcomes down the track. (Time expired)

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