Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I start by acknowledging the traditional owners of our country. I acknowledge the Ngunawal and Ngambri people whose land on which the parliament meets, and I acknowledge the Tharawal, Gundungurra and Dharug people, the traditional owners in the electorate of Werriwa. Acknowledging First Australians and recognising them as the true owners of the land is a small but powerful message.

Recognition is the first step to reconciliation, as is truth-telling, and I add my voice to acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. But there is much more that needs to be done, and Labor will always be committed to bringing justice to all Indigenous communities. It was a Labor government that made the national Apology to the Stolen Generations on behalf of all Australians. It was a Labor government that acknowledges an apology is tremendously essential; however, it doesn't close the gap. There needs to be structural, institutional and cultural change in Australia for First Nations people to have the same opportunities as all Australians.

Last Friday I attended the Memories in the Mall event in Liverpool that marks the importance of the apology for our community. It is the importance to remember and to recommit to make a difference. The Liverpool council and our community have a respectful relationship with its Aboriginal residents. Recently, there was a deed of agreement between Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council and Liverpool council for the upgrade of Apex and Phillips parks. The agreement will ensure that the Aboriginal community have their history and culture recognised. There will be employment opportunities, traineeships, apprenticeships and an Indigenous garden. These are tangible opportunities for change. Also as part of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of Campbelltown City, the council, with the input of its First People, has built a Campbelltown yarning circle. Opened earlier this year by the Mayor of Campbelltown, the yarning circle is a show of commitment to supporting and respecting the original inhabitants of Campbelltown, the Dharawal. I would like to make special mention of Uncle Ivan Wellington, who was pivotal in seeing this project come to fruition and spoke at the unveiling. Uncle Ivan spoke about the great benefits the site will bring not only to the local Indigenous community but to the wider community as a whole. Our local community is showing that it can work to improve the situation for Aboriginal residents, but more needs to be done.

It's my great privilege to be part of the Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs. This committee recently handed down its report on food security in remote communities. Food security in these areas has a disproportional effect on Aboriginal Australians. The most distressing evidence about the lack of reliable food chains and supplies came from an Aboriginal elder in a remote community, who told us that she fully expected her children would be hungry for at least three months a year because of the lack of deliveries during the wet season. This wasn't just the result of the pandemic; it happened every year. This is heartbreaking. In 2021, it is unacceptable and intolerable for a country like ours.

For more than a decade, the Closing the gap report recommendations have highlighted what needs to be achieved to improve the lives of First Nations people. It is disappointing that many of the recommendations have not been implemented and the targets are still not on track. Child mortality rates in Indigenous communities have stagnated for the last decade, sitting well above the targets set. Tragically, 117 Indigenous children died in 2018, more than double that of the rate for non-Indigenous children. Sadly, while the rate of non-Indigenous child mortality is improving at a faster rate, the gap is widening for Aboriginal children. But, as the member for Barton said, these are people, not statistics.

More needs to be done to understand the health and social detriments of Indigenous mothers and children if birth outcomes and mortality rates are to improve. First Nations people are dying too soon. They are incarcerated too often, suffer from more preventable diseases, are educated less and are the least likely to be employed. The statistics from the report do not do real justice to the situation that our First Nations peoples face every day. This is a tragedy not of their own making. We must act. We must end the shameful history and use the figures that we have to change the lives for emerging generations. And we must do it now.

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