Matt Thistlethwaite (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I had the great pleasure of welcoming a bright young Indigenous student, Marlee Silva, into my office as part of the Learn Earn Legend! work experience program. Many of us in the Senate were fortunate to have representatives of Australia's young Indigenous community spend time in our offices last week as part of this wonderful program. The aim of this program is to encourage and support young Indigenous Australian students to stay at school, get a job and be a legend for themselves, for their family and for their community.

The Learn Earn Legend! program addresses three of the key Closing the Gap targets on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reform. The first is to halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievements for Indigenous children within a decade. The second is to halve the gap for Indigenous students in year 12 equivalent attainment by 2020. The third is to halve the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade. The program is delivered by community leaders, sport stars and everyday ‘local legends’ who young Indigenous Australians respect and aspire to be like. The Learn Earn Legend! message advocates the importance of education, training and employment. This message was one that I was certainly happy to support during this last week and, indeed, have been happy to support over many years.

I am pleased to say that the young student who was based in my office, Marlee Silva, came to see how this place works and to work alongside my staff and me. She is a wonderful student who I hope learned a lot and drew much inspiration from her time here in our nation's capital. While in my office Marlee performed a number of tasks, one of which was to write this speech that I am currently reading to the Senate. I am pleased to say that, in delivering this speech, I am representing her views and experiences as part of the Learn Earn Legend! program.

Marlee lives in the Sutherland Shire in Sydney with her mother, her grandmother, her younger sister and her father—former first grade rugby league player, Rod Silva. Rod Silva played for the Canterbury Bulldogs—and, although I am a passionate Rabbitohs supporter and they are facing off against us this weekend, I was happy to have Marlee work in my office and pleased to see and learn of the work that her father is doing to promote Indigenous rights and close the gap in his community.

Marlee is 17 years old and a proud Kamilaroi woman—her father, Rod, being from Moree. Rod is now a sergeant in the New South Wales Police Force. Marlee said it was her father Rod who provided the inspiration for her to take part in the Learn Earn Legend! work experience program. Through his involvement in local Indigenous issues, Rod Silva is a leader in his community. Mr Silva mentors local high school students, is involved in the local hostel, Kirranari, and has developed the Col Dillon Cup, an Oztag tournament that works to build better relationships between the police force and Aboriginal youth in the Sydney community. It is for these reasons, Marlee said, that she put her hand up to nominate for the program, to follow her father's footsteps and to assist the Indigenous issues that affect her community and to become a community leader.

Marlee is just three weeks away from beginning year 12 at Port Hacking High School. She will be studying advanced and extension English, modern history, biology, art, drama and legal studies. After finishing her HSC she plans to attend university to study law.

Marlee was proud to be one of the 100 Indigenous students from around Australia to be accepted into the 2012 Learn Earn Legend! work experience program. She said that she looked forward to coming into this program to see where 'the magic happens', to better understand how the country is run, to catch a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes action that goes into making laws in our country and to interact with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids who felt the same way in terms of wanting to help their communities by bettering themselves.

Marlee said she enjoyed the opportunity to attend a committee meeting, sit in the Senate for the reading of the prayer and acknowledgement of country, and watch a heated session of question time. She described it as an eye-opening experience that had given her a better understanding of the importance of the work of this place and a sense of admiration for the hardworking people who keep this country going—not just the politicians but the officers and staff who work in and around this parliament.

But, although there were many high points in Marlee's short time here, she said that the most inspiring part of her experience was her fellow participants in the Learn Earn Legend! program. She said it had been extremely encouraging to see so many intelligent young Indigenous students enthusiastic about the Learn Earn Legend! motto, which is, 'Stay at school! Get that job! Be a legend!' 'That is exactly what we are all planning to do,' she said. When in a room surrounded by her fellow Learn Earn Legend! students, Marlee said that she could tell that she was in the presence of leaders—legends in their own right; young people who are helping to pave the way for other young kids—and, for that feeling alone, she said she was grateful to the Australian government for supporting important programs like this.

Finally, Marlee wished to express her thanks to all of the people involved in the Learn Earn Legend! program. She said that she hopes it continues for many years to come so that other kids like her can be inspired by their experiences in this place and become leaders and role models in their communities and maybe even one day end up here working in Parliament House.