Page 2474 - Week 07 - Thursday, 3 August 2017
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Sorry Day is a reminder to us all every year of how far we have to go and of the impact of intergenerational trauma on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. The Bringing them home report found, in one of its most shocking findings, that no Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family had likely been left unaffected by past forced removal policies. That is something we must always bear in mind.
As the motion notes, the government’s ongoing commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs is set out in the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agreement 2015-18. In 2015 the ACT government signed the agreement alongside the elected body. The agreement provides strategic direction for ACT government policies and actions, including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice agreement, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health strategy, the ACT public service Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment strategy, and any future strategies.
The agreement was developed in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, service partners, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and ACT government directorates. It sets out the ACT government’s commitment to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, frames the way the ACT government will work with the community, specifies key areas of focus and identifies high-level outcomes and initiatives that will make a difference in life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT.
At this point I would like to acknowledge the work undertaken by Mr Rattenbury, Ms Berry and Dr Bourke as previous ministers in the portfolio, in the development and implementation of the agreement. As the motion notes, the government reaffirms its commitment to the principles in the statement of commitment to reconciliation and the wellbeing of communities from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agreement. I will not repeat them, given that they are in the motion and we are running short of time.
Madam Speaker, as you are aware, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body is a unique model of facilitating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community development and self-determination in the ACT. The ACT government established the body in 2008 and since then it has been a strong voice for the community as it advocates for the rights, goals and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans.
As I mentioned in question time yesterday, the elected body held elections for a fourth term in NAIDOC Week this year, with a record 25 nominees vying for seven positions. A record number of votes were cast. I look forward to working with the fourth elected body, particularly in regard to the development of a new agreement next year to replace the current agreement. As I have said in public and in this place, I am open to having a broad conversation with the elected body and the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community about the form that that agreement will take.
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