Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly and importantly, I give my thanks and pay respects to the Ngunawal elders past, present and emerging for our future. I also give thanks and pay respect to the Yugara people, who are the traditional owners of the land in my electorate of Moncrieff on the Gold Coast. I honour all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here in this parliament and right across our great country. I'd also like to acknowledge our service men and women and our veterans and particularly acknowledge our Indigenous service men and women and our Indigenous veterans.

This was the first Closing the Gap speech I have heard in the chamber since being elected, and I saw with my own two eyes our Indigenous minister take the floor and deliver a speech straight after the Prime Minister. I'm sure Minister Wyatt helped to craft the statement. I share the frustration and, indeed, disappointment with what is a national truth and a national shame that today Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children do not have the same opportunities as all other Australian children. The 2020 Closing the Gap report shows that the best intentions and the decisions made in good faith are not enough. Whilst there's been some progress, Australia is on track to meet only two of the seven targets that were set. These two targets are early childhood education and year 12 attainment. Sadly, the four COAG targets—child mortality, school attendance, literacy and numeracy, and employment—that expired in 2018 have not been met. The target to close the gap in life expectancy within a generation to 2031 is also unfortunately not on track. It's clear that previous strategies around closing the gap have been hampered largely by a lack of collaboration between government and Indigenous Australians. We thought that we understood their problems better than they did. We don't. They live their problems. They are the experts.

A new era of partnership to close the gap has begun. Central to this partnership is a new process that is truthful, strength based and community led. It puts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people front and centre, where they deserve to be. I commend the Prime Minister and Minister Wyatt, our minister for Indigenous affairs, on their efforts to tackle this issue with a grassroots approach.

We must make an impact on one particularly important area—education. It's the key. As the Prime Minister said—and I wholeheartedly agree:

Get the education right and the skills, jobs, security, health, prosperity and longevity all follow.

I'm pleased that we've seen encouraging signs in this area.

I want to commend one institution in my electorate, if I may—and I'm sure there are others: Griffith University is working to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Its Gumurrii unit has helped more than 400 students achieve degrees in the last few years and supports 160 regional and remote students to succeed. Jacob Page, a student at Griffith University, has just completed his Bachelor of Exercise Science and his ambition is to go on to study medicine. He is the first in his family to attend university and he said that completing the course gave him a large amount of self-satisfaction.

Jacob praised the Gumurrii unit for their support when he said:

Gaining new knowledge and completing courses gives you a large amount of self-satisfaction. You will be a direct influence in improving the education statistics of our people. The amount of support you get from the Gumurrii unit will definitely make things a lot easier when starting. Don't let fear of failing stop you from trying. Everyone at Gumurrii is really nice and encouraging. They really want you to achieve.

We know that we must do whatever we can to get more kids into school, to finish school and to go on to further study. It all helps to set them on the path to better life outcomes. Education leads to a job and a job represents a future full of choice.

As a member of parliament I represent my community, and that includes Indigenous Gold Coasters. It's why I joined the backbench committee for Indigenous affairs—so I can learn more about the issues that face the Aboriginal community and the challenges we have as a government in this next chapter of closing the gap. The Gold Coast has a rich Indigenous history. Aboriginal tribes inhabited the region for over 23,000 years before European settlement and so numerous sacred sites remain. It's important that we understand the history, traditions and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Bora Memorial Rock can be found in the Jebbribillum Bora Park ring site beside the Gold Coast Highway, in my own suburb of Miami. Thousands of people pass it every day without realising its significance. The rock is dedicated to the Indigenous men and women from the Gold Coast region who served in Australian war conflicts from 1914 to 1991. The memorial was made in 1991 with a rock from Tamborine Mountain and has totemic symbols of an eagle—the protector—a snake, a dolphin and circles representing water coming together. It was once the site where young Aboriginals were initiated into their tribe with special ceremonies. I recently enjoyed listening to the youth choir sing the national anthem in their traditional language at a memorial service for Indigenous diggers.

The Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre is located at the bottom of Burleigh headland and borders my electorate. Here, Aboriginal artists create traditional artwork. You can go along and browse the paintings for sale and see Aboriginal artefacts such as dilly bags, shields and other tools and instruments that were once part of everyday life. Burleigh Heads National Park is an important and sacred Indigenous place that, to this day, offers an amazing insight into the world of the Kombumerri people, including many Dreamtime stories about how Burleigh Hill and Tallebudgera—or 'good fish'—Creek came to be. I know I have many constituents who regularly enjoy this beautiful place, including my own family.

Now, you may have been one of the millions of people who were mesmerised by the incredible Indigenous performance in the 2018 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. Luther Cora, a constituent from Nerang, was the director of the Gathering performance. He's known on the Gold Coast for his storytelling and for his commitment to share the culture of the Yugambeh people. Borobi Jingeri, the big, blue koala mascot of the Commonwealth Games, also calls the Gold Coast home. His legacy lives on beyond the games as the champion of the local Yugambeh language. Borobi's full-time job now is to share his extensive knowledge of Indigenous language and culture with primary schools around South-East Queensland.

Sadly, in recent years, Indigenous youth suicide has taken too many young lives. Indigenous youth are almost four times more likely than their non-Indigenous peers to take their own lives. Tackling suicide, all suicides, is a national priority. To tackle this national priority we are using targeted strategies. We've unveiled Australia's largest-ever youth mental health and suicide prevention package. There are trials being funded which are specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. In the last budget we committed $4.5 million for Indigenous leaders to create their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention plan.

To finish on the Closing the gap report, I want to commit to do four things: talk about our history, focus on solutions, recognise traditional owners and highlight the importance of closing the gap through a grassroots approach that listens to Indigenous Australians.

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