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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1847 ..

MR OSBORNE (continuing):

well received by the community. However, I believe that we have a tremendous opportunity to invite our indigenous brothers and sisters to the Assembly to address the Assembly on this issue, on this report, and basically on whether or not they have accepted our apology.

I had hoped that we would be able to get them in next week. Perhaps I was a little naive in my discussions yesterday afternoon, in that I thought that it would be adequate just to invite the Ngunnawal people in as three different groups, as they are the people from this region. However, I have taken advice today that the Ngunnawal people in fact represent only between 5 and 10 per cent of the ACT indigenous population. The vast majority of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people living in the Territory would perhaps feel marginalised somewhat if they were not given the opportunity to address the Assembly, as some of these people have lived in the ACT, I am told, for in excess of 20 years.

I have changed the motion a little bit in the last couple of hours, so that, rather than have them in next week, you, Mr Speaker, invite them in - if we pass this motion - on the first sitting day after the mid-year break, which is Tuesday, 26 August, at 10.30 am, for a maximum period of two hours, with all the different groups having 15 minutes each to address the Assembly. That gives the possibility of eight different organisations addressing the Assembly. The Chief Minister has indicated that she would like to have some sort of lunch or some sort of reception in the Assembly afterwards, which I think is a great idea.

Mr Speaker, this will be a first for the Territory, in that nobody other than members have spoken here. I think it is a tremendous opportunity for us to invite them in. I attempted to do something similar a couple of years ago by inviting the secretary of the Trades and Labour Council, Mr Pyner, in to address the Assembly on the issue of the new contracts with the Government. However, it never happened. Inviting the Aboriginal people to be the first people to address us will be tremendous. I thank members of the Chief Minister's office for enlightening me on the problems of inviting just the Ngunnawal people in. I am led to believe that, if that was the case, then perhaps one of the groups was going to spend 15 minutes attacking one of the other groups. I did not think that that would be in the spirit of what I am trying to achieve here. I am confident that all members will agree that what I am trying to achieve here is in the right spirit. I hope that 26 August is a special day for all of us and that it is as successful as I expect it will be. Paragraph (1) of the motion states:

this Assembly, noting the apology arising from the report Bringing them home, invites representatives of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community from the ACT and surrounding region, as determined by the Speaker in consultation with the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure, to appear before the Bar of the Assembly on Tuesday, 26 August 1997, at 10.30 a.m. for a maximum period of two hours to address the Assembly in relation to this matter;

The remainder of the motion is just about the procedure. I am sure that all members will support this very worthwhile motion.

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