Page 4005 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 September 2017
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(a) finalise the Cultural Healing Framework, in consultation with the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm Advisory Board, to establish principles that underpin the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm and the concepts of cultural healing;
(b) ensure residential programs become available at the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm in the future; and
(c) consider revisiting permitted land uses for the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm as part of a review of the program after 12 months of operation.”.
Firstly, I would like to say it is a surprise to me that Mr Milligan did not receive an invitation to the opening of the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm. I have followed up on that already. I of course apologise if that was not the case but he did note that every other member of the Assembly received that invitation. I certainly was advised that all members of the Assembly received the invitation to attend the opening of the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm, which is even more of a shame, because I think that Mr Milligan has one part of the picture here; but there are many parts of the picture. I am absolutely certain that the mood on the day, the welcome by many members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, including those who have been advocates for this facility, those who are working there, those who are working in ACT Health who helped to shape this project, those who work in organisations which Mr Milligan came close to criticising and who are also Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans delivering services at the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm was such that we might have avoided some of the confusion which is going to be revealed in my response to Mr Milligan’s motion.
He has indeed put forward a particular view that was the opposite of those who were at the opening of the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm. The opening was an event of excitement and optimism for the future, with some reflections of the sadness of the past that brought the community together to advocate for the farm in the first place. The conversations that took place were filled with recognition of how far the journey had come and how much possibility there was for the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm to support people in the community.
If members opposite had had the opportunity to come along, they would have understood, as I did, what this project is about and what it means for many members of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Being part of the launch was a very humbling and moving experience. The opening was the culmination of many years of work and many conversations had with people who care deeply about the success of the bush healing farm and the impacts that it will have for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT. The response from those present was one of elation and excitement.
The timing of this motion, I believe, is a bit disappointing as it comes at a time after I have also made a statement to the Assembly—I might stand corrected but I do not think Mr Milligan reflected on it really at any point—because a number of the claims that he made that I had not updated the Assembly on were indeed made in my statement to the Assembly during the last sitting.
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