Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First Contact Aboriginal Corporation for Youth is a not-for-profit organisation in Bonner that for many years has worked tirelessly for the betterment of the Indigenous community in south-east Brisbane. Not only have the corporation worked to change the lives of local Indigenous youth and their families but in doing so they have united the wider community in an understanding of Indigenous needs. The corporation have also played an integral role in raising awareness about Aboriginal history across the southside of Brisbane.

Corporation chairperson Robbie Williams is an outstanding community leader and a proactive advocate for his people. Mr Williams shares a personal connection to the Bonner electorate through his family’s language group: the Yugumbah people. Furthermore, he is a man inspired by the late senator Neville Bonner, who was both a strong and highly respected Aboriginal elder and leader. I take this opportunity to commend Mr Williams and the team of fine men and women who have led the corporation forward so successfully.

I have also had the great pleasure of working closely with Mr Williams over the past 12 months on a local project that would see the establishment of an Echidna Magic Kiosk and community facility on the summit of Mount Gravatt. Mount Gravatt has for years remained a special recreational ground and lookout for the southside community of Bonner. From families and couples to clubs and community groups, the mountain and its view are enjoyed by a wide variety of people and, moreover, it is sacred ground for the local Indigenous community.

However, unlike Mount Cootha in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Mount Gravatt Mountain lacks a community cafe and public facilities which could potentially draw activity and life to the mountain. The Echidna Magic Kiosk project is a plan that would bring a unique community facility to life on the mountain. While managed by Indigenous locals, the facility would be accessible for use by the whole community.

This is a project that has been embraced by southside residents and identified as a worthwhile development that would benefit the local area. For the past 10 years, Mr Williams has committed himself to this vision and project for Mount Gravatt Mountain, and I thank him for his determination and enthusiasm.

Community volunteers have dedicated hundreds of hours to the project in the past 12 months. As local support has increased, significant developments have been made which are bringing this project closer and closer to becoming a reality. During the first round of this government’s Community Water Grants program, I worked with Mr Williams on an application for funding that would see the Echidna Magic Kiosk incorporate water-wise strategies into the facility’s operation as well as develop native educational gardens. The First Contact Aboriginal Corporation submitted an outstanding application which resulted in a $50,000 grant for the water-wise program. Furthermore, Mr Williams has secured a 20-year community lease for the site and has gained financial assistance for the incorporation of an industrial kitchen and fittings.

This project has my full support, and I assure Mr Williams that I will continue to work with my state and council colleagues until this community facility is delivered for Mount Gravatt. I know that the local state member and minister, the Hon. Judy Spence, has also worked cooperatively with the First Contact Aboriginal Corporation to ensure that the state government supports this development. I thank Minister Spence for her commitment and proactive approach to this project.

The corporation is now seeking funds through the government’s Regional Partnerships program for construction of the kiosk facility. This evening, I wish to confirm my support for this application, as this is a community-focused project that will deliver positive outcomes for the southside region of Brisbane. Without this funding, the project cannot progress to its final stages and, indeed, it would be a great loss for the southside community.

The Echidna Magic Kiosk for Mount Gravatt Mountain is now well in the making and, with the support of a Regional Partnerships grant, this community facility could finally be brought to life. It is a project that brings the local Indigenous people and their land together with the southside community, and it is an opportunity that simply cannot be missed.