Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (NT, Country Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about a vital project planned for my home town of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. These days, I often find myself saying that my home town doesn't look the way I remember it. Unfortunately, the Albanese Labor government's lack of leadership and support for the town has made things far worse than they need to be. So it really is wonderful to be able to stand here today and talk about a project being developed by the Redtails Pinktails Right Tracks Foundation, because it is a project that I believe can restore some of what made Alice Springs such a wonderful place to grow up in.

The project will see the development of a sports, learning and leadership centre. One of the most beneficial things we can do for our young people is to give them places where they are safe and purposeful and where they are educated with important life skills, like goal setting, and then are empowered to reach those goals, because, when kids have those opportunities, they are far less likely to be out on the streets or drawn into social dysfunction. This project will do just that. Far more than a facility, it will reach across all those areas of community life: education, life skills, leadership and development, as well as sport and recreation.

I know the reality of this because not so long ago in Alice Springs I was heavily involved in women's footy, and it was the Redtails Pinktails who encouraged and supported me. The people I met at the footy club became like family to me, and I know I'm not the only one who has had that experience. That's why I've worked closely with the project founders, helping them to achieve charity and DGR status. It's a unique opportunity, and time is of the essence. I'll continue to support this project so that, just as I did, many others might find a similar sense of belonging, purpose and empowerment through their engagement with the program.