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

It's a pleasure to rise in this House and speak on the Closing the Gap Commonwealth implementation plan. As I'm sure many speakers, already, in their contributions tonight have acknowledged, much work has been done but much work still needs to be done. I want to take this opportunity tonight to not only speak about some of the terrific work that's being done locally in my electorate of Forde but, at the same time, acknowledge that in our regional and remote communities there are some very, very difficult problems being faced in those communities that are not necessarily reflected in my local community.

But there are still many difficulties and many problems, whether it is in the youth justice system and engaging with the justice system; whether it is in the education system and being fully engaged in education; whether it is the opportunity to gain stable, secure long-term employment that provides the opportunity to build wealth, build families, build self-confidence or whether it's the opportunity to get appropriate housing. All of these issues still exist in my community of Forde and that's why I'm so pleased with the focus of the Closing the Gap, which is not only really starting to target these issues but, more importantly, is engaging with the Indigenous community in how we solve those problems.

In that regard, at this point I would like to single out the work of the Beenleigh Housing and Development Company, led by CEO, Will Davis. They've been working for a number of years to develop a community-led housing project, and I fully support that project. I'd also like to thank Minister Wyatt for his willingness to look at that proposal to build a housing project that is designed to meet the needs of our local Indigenous community. Sadly, it probably won't be located in my electorate of Forde, but it will be located in the electorate of my good friend the member for Wright's electorate, probably down around Jimboomba or somewhere in that area. Our communities that we represent, whether it's the Yugambeh people in the south of my electorate, who also go into the electorate of the member for Wright, or the Yuggera to the north, are very much engaged in the discussion about how we resolve these issues for their communities. They include people like Uncle Ted Williams and Aunty Robyn Williams, both descendants of Bilin Bilin, who is frequently referred to as the King of the Logan and Albert rivers. I also reflect on the recent 50th anniversary of Senator Neville Bonner, who was a Yuggera man.

We can see that these communities have a rich history on which to build. If you have a look at the stories that are told through the Spirits of the Red Sand production at the Beenleigh Historical Village, you start to get a better understanding of the history of the interaction between the Yugambeh people and the original German settlers, and later, more broadly, English and European settlers. Sadly, there are stories that you hear from many places around Australia of massacres and people being treated extremely poorly. Even the story of the Spirits of the Red Sand tells us some of the things that happened to that community over that time. But, equally, it tells a story of the successes and integration of those communities, and at the end celebrates the success of where all of our communities have come from as a result.

One of the important things in the Closing the Gap Implementation Plan was a focus on language. I think language is particularly important because it helps you to understand where you've come from. It is a vital part of culture, because it allows you to keep the history of your culture alive by understanding and keeping the language alive. Rory O'Connor, the son of Aunty Patricia O'Connor, one of the Yugambeh elders, wrote a book: Walan ya Nimbulima—Back From Lost. It's about ensuring the survival of the Yugambeh language, and that it doesn't just survive but thrives.

I'd like to take the opportunity to acknowledge some of the work being done at our local schools to do exactly that. At Beenleigh State High School, they have an Indigenous support unit, called Mibunn Jinndi, where they provide support for Indigenous students throughout the Beenleigh community. Eagleby South State School have a proud, strong focus on outcomes for Indigenous students, but a key part of that is ensuring they understand the language to acknowledge and respect their identity and their culture. Waterford West State School, my old state school, has a Yugambeh language program that provides students with the opportunity to see language as a means of real communication rather than simply as an object of study.

At Marsden State High School, the Indigenous support unit, Deadly @ Marsden, supports the Indigenous students at Marsden State High School through mentoring, tutoring and connecting with external organisations and activities such as education support; social, emotional and cultural wellbeing; health checks through the Deadly Choices program; Indigenous camps; Beyond the Broncos; and an extraordinarily good rugby league and football program. Part of a recent discussion that I've had with Marsden State High School is to engage with Adam Sarota and Jade North, who have both played for the Brisbane Roar Football Club but who now have their own Indigenous business doing landscaping and construction, as a way to get kids at Marsden State High School engaged in the workforce.

All of these practical measures that are being undertaken by our community in Forde are a practical demonstration of the fact that our community wants to help itself to be better and to resolve the problems that it faces—and they acknowledge those problems. But equally important was the funding that this government provided to Beenleigh Housing and Development Company—I think it was three years ago now—which has been very successful in allowing them to run mentoring and youth programs, and a range of other programs, to start to deal with some of these issues at the coalface.

To everybody involved across the electorate of Forde I want to say thank you for your efforts. I commit to continuing to work with you through the implementation plan and other measures, to helping to continue to resolve the issues that you face in our community and to ensuring that the Indigenous youth of the community of Forde have the opportunity to realise their potential, just like everyone else.

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