Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That, in accordance with section 5 of the Parliament Act 1974, the House approve the following proposal for work in the Parliamentary Zone which was presented to the House on 6 November 2024, namely: Senator Neville Bonner AO commemorative sculpture and associated works.

Approval is sought from the House for the National Capital Authority to commence work to install a life-sized statue to commemorate the life of the late Senator Neville Bonner AO, a Jagera man from Queensland, near the Old Parliament House Senate Rose Gardens.

Senator Bonner AO was the first Indigenous Australian elected to the Australian parliament, serving between 1971 and 1983. He was appointed by the Queensland parliament to fill a casual vacancy in the representation of Queensland in the Senate, and later became the first Indigenous Australian to be elected to parliament by popular vote. The statue installation is part of the NCA's program to commemorate underrepresented groups in Australia's democracy.

The proposed statue is based on photograph chosen by Senator Bonner's family of him in a suit, holding four boomerangs, one he is preparing to throw. The NCA has consulted extensively with Mr Bonner's family, the United Ngunnawal Elders Council and the Museum of Australian Democracy. The statue is due for completion in mid-2025 and is expected to be unveiled in the second half of 2025 to mark an anniversary of Senator Bonner's life and his service.

Question agreed to.