Page 3096 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 10 September 1991
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I arranged a meeting between representatives of the Cemeteries Trust and the Ngunnawal people to see whether a section of the Gungahlin cemetery and eventually the Tuggeranong cemetery could be made available to the Aboriginal community. The meeting was a very positive one and it was agreed that the trust and the Ngunnawal people would continue to discuss what was required to create an area acceptable to them so that they could commence arrangements for the necessary preparations, by way of special plantings and other arrangements, to meet the spiritual needs of these people.
The Gungahlin cemetery has already allocated special sites for the Jewish and Islamic communities, various Eastern Orthodox churches and the Buddhist community. However, no such special arrangements have been made for Aboriginal people of this type anywhere in eastern Australia. It is true that Aboriginals have been interred in a specific part of the Yass cemetery, but I was advised that this was done more to ensure that they were not too close to the white settlers who ended their days there - a final form of apartheid, I guess, if you like.
It is also interesting to note that the equivalent legislation in the States provides for areas in cemeteries to be set aside for various religious groups and refers in general to ministers of religion having free access to administer such an area. The Victorian cemeteries Act, the Queensland cemeteries Act, the New South Wales Local Government Act and others have these provisions. However, Aboriginal communities do not have the same structured religion that we are familiar with; nor do they build churches like we did. To them, the environment around them was the equivalent of a church and the landscape, particularly prominent features, formed a part of their religion or their dreaming.
Members may recall that the very first versions of the ACT's proposed heritage legislation had very little comment on Aboriginal aspects of the heritage of our Territory. The second version had much more, and the additional comments by my colleague Dr Kinloch and me expressed concern about the need for even more involvement of the Aboriginal community, particularly a special advisory council to advise the Minister responsible for heritage on Aboriginal issues. That is something that I hope the new Minister, Mr Wood, will respond to in his version of the legislation which, hopefully, will be coming to the Assembly in a week or so.
Mr Wood: Definitely.
MR JENSEN: I hear that and I welcome it, Mr Wood. In closing, I would like to commend the proposal to set aside a section in our current and proposed cemeteries for our Aboriginal neighbours, and I encourage the Minister, in his response, to confirm that the work started back in April this year has not been put aside and that discussions are
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