Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to talk about the Northern Territory Indigenous Economic Development conference that took place towards the end of last week. It was an honour to be the keynote guest speaker there on Friday and to be able to attend the conference with more than 600 participants from not just the Northern Territory but across Australia, proving again the length and breadth of experience that there is in so many areas in terms of economic development.

It was good to see the many communities represented there from across Arnhem Land and also those from interstate, who came to sell their wares and to talk about the challenges of having a business, owning a business and how they could work their way forward to become so much more sustainable in terms of not only their business but also their family and their livelihoods. Many of those who were present were also able to talk about the referendum and what the 'no' vote meant for them and its impact. I thought it was an important moment—that hundreds and hundreds of First Nations people could come together to talk and to reflect and also to show solidarity and support for one another and the many millions of Australians who supported them.

In my address to the conference, I reminded the audience that the key thing for me certainly here is to remember that it's about respect, to accept the results of the referendum and to remember resilience. 'Respect' and 'resilience' are two key words that I shared with those at the conference to show that we can move forward. As First Nations people we have, over thousands of years, been able to come through many difficulties and hardships. This was something that was really important to be able to talk about at the conference.

Minister Linda Burney also came to the Northern Territory to spend some time with the Tiwi islanders and their local member Marion Scrymgour, and that was important. The Tiwi islanders welcomed the minister and were also able to feed back to her where they were at in terms of the referendum outcome and also what they'd like to see in terms of steps going forward. This was really productive and quite important for the Tiwi community—to be able to talk on many levels about the many issues impacting them.

We also had time with students of Charles Darwin University and to encourage more First Nations students to attend university, especially here in the Northern Territory. We were able to meet two incredibly impressive young people: Stuart and Yasmin. Stuart is well-known in the Northern Territory, having been a young Indigenous Australian recognised in the Australia Day honours for the Northern Territory. Yasmin is studying law and is inspiring other First Nations people to come forward and study at university. They were very encouraging meetings, Again, it was also important to reflect on people's learnings throughout the referendum, what they experienced, what they felt and what their hopes are for the future. I thank Yasmin and Stuart for having that time with us, and I thank Charles Darwin University for the work that it is doing with not only students from across the Northern Territory and across Australia but also international students. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to working more with you going into 2024.