Page 1208 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 24 April 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
of the Opposition may be interested to know that I do have a little knowledge, albeit limited, about this subject.
Mrs Grassby: You are the wrong colour.
MR JENSEN: I was about to come to that, Mrs Grassby. Like you, I am a non-Aboriginal. However, I studied at the excellent Australian National University, at the leading prehistory department in Australia. The professor of prehistory there, Professor Mulvaney, a leader in this area in Australia, has left a legacy for future students at ANU. I had the privilege to be part of that. As I said, I have a limited knowledge, because we, as non-Aboriginal Australians, can only seek to scratch the surface of the Aboriginal history and prehistory of our nation.
It is very interesting to note that large numbers of Aboriginals transited through this region. I recommend to Ms Follett and Mrs Grassby an excellent work on this subject by Dr Josephine Flood, called The Moth Hunters, which discusses this subject and includes comment on the stone tool industry and the way that this industry was part of the lifestyle. Ms Follett and Mrs Grassby may also be interested to know that during my time as a student at the ANU I actually participated in field work in this particular subject. In fact, I might encourage both Mrs Grassby and Ms Follett to join Dr Flood on a field trip which she proposes to run during Heritage Week. It might be a very edifying experience for them.
I am also aware that, following my personal initiatives, representatives from the excellent research school of the ANU and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies were able to ensure that they were given an opportunity to comment on the heritage policy for the ACT.
As the Chief Minister has said, the Alliance Government's legislation provides an excellent framework for the community to preserve its heritage. We are lucky in Canberra that we live in a well-planned city with a high level of residential amenities.
I now move to the more recent historical past of the ACT. As one who has also studied history, including social history, I am not unaware of some of the issues of our heritage and the need to preserve them. The activities of the administration at Lanyon, as Mrs Grassby well knows, are to be commended. I was present there last weekend for a very interesting discussion by a noted heritage architect in the ACT, Mr Peter Freeman, on farm buildings around this part of the Murrumbidgee River. That was a very interesting activity and it was well attended by a large number of people. It is the sort of activity in which it is crucial for people to participate.
However, Canberra's early planning and architecture have a particular value. What has been created is a pleasant city which is also important in world terms as a unique example
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .