Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to support this motion by my good friend the member for Leichhardt, recognising the importance and the value of Indigenous tourism. The statistics for health, education and employment of our Indigenous population, as I'm sure we all recognise across this Chamber, are far from ideal. The average life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is 10 years less than that of non-Indigenous Australians. Twenty per cent of Aboriginal women experience physical violence compared to seven per cent of non-Indigenous women. Indigenous Australians are more likely than non-Indigenous people to have mental health problems and chronic diseases such as respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. We have seen recently media reports to that effect.

Improving economic, social and education outcomes for Indigenous Australians is a priority for this government. The Closing the Gap statement on improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is also a national priority. The 2021 budget provides some $243.6 million to Indigenous focused programs, including new Indigenous skills and employment programs and funding of some 2,700 places at Indigenous skills academies. The measures complement the government's $40 million investment in the Indigenous Tourism Fund, which supports Indigenous tourism businesses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations.

In 2017, the Australian government released a report called My life my lead: Opportunities for strengthening approaches to the social determinants and cultural determinants of Indigenous health. During the consultation for this report, one of the key themes to emerge was that of culture as being central to Indigenous Australians' wellbeing and the need for it to be embraced across a range of Indigenous and mainstream services as both a protector and an enabler of health and wellbeing. Aboriginal culture is a foundation of everything else that it is built on: dance, music, arts ceremonies and storytelling. These connect the Indigenous people to family, community and country, and to the past and to others.

I am pleased to say there are a number of these programs across my electorate of Forde. The Spirits of the Red Sand is located not far from my office in Beenleigh, on Yugambeh country. The northern part of my electorate is Yuggera territory. Uncle Eddie set up Spirits of the Red Sand after visiting the Tamaki Maori Village in New Zealand. The mission of Spirits of the Red Sand is to create respect and admiration for the Indigenous culture through the act of storytelling and it provides a unique tourism experience by allowing visitors to participate in the telling of the story of our Indigenous community in our local area over the period prior to and post settlement. Spirits of the Red Sand offer didgeridoo lessons and a deeper understanding of welcome to country and tribal challenges for both individual and corporate visitors. The story they tell at Spirits of the Red Sand is based on that of a local family and many of the characters and many of the people acting out these stories are descendants of those original Indigenous inhabitants. Australia's Indigenous culture, country, art and history are key points of differentiation in a competitive international tourism market and to see their success is great testament to the work that they do. Supporting Indigenous tourism businesses, particularly those who share Indigenous culture and traditions, helps communities to realise the economic opportunities and importantly helps with health and wellbeing.

Additionally the Yugambeh Museum in Beenleigh was established to record and promote the traditional knowledge and language of the Yugambeh people. It works with the community to bring together initiatives centred around cultural and education exchange so future generations have the opportunity to embrace their language, hear their stories and connect to their legacy but also to inform the broader community.

Beenleigh Housing and Development Corporation is a Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation that provides sustainable housing links to the Indigenous community. From the $750,000 they received through the National Indigenous Australians Agency fund, they have run programs to keep jahjum, or children, at school, engaged in starting in playgroups, completing year 12 and going to university. I commend the government for seeking to support these important initiatives through Indigenous tourism and other great initiatives.

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