Page 705 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 March 2019
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The new agreement was signed on 26 February 2019 by Ms Katrina Fanning, Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body; the Chief Minister; the Head of Service; and me, as Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs.
The elected body drove this agreement. In speaking at the signing event, Ms Fanning said, “It commits to action solutions that are by us and for us.” I can assure members that the elected body was very clear with the government that the agreement would not be signed until every ACT government directorate had developed a meaningful action plan addressing all 10 focus areas.
On 2 March there was a community launch of the agreement and its focus area action plans at Namadgi School, an opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans to find out more about what is in it for them. The community launch was an initiative of the elected body, and it was great to see so many members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community coming along to learn more about the new agreement and to hear directly from the elected body and government officials about the actions we are committed to against its focus areas.
Highlights of the event included Grace Orbst’s powerful song about the stolen generations. Grace is a young woman from Lyneham High School; her lyrics and performance captivated everyone, a great example of the power of truth telling. I have no doubt we will be seeing a lot more of Grace in the future.
The government’s child and family centres put together a fantastic program of entertainment for the kids, while parents and carers inspected the showcase and spoke with officials. Kids loved ACT parks and conservation’s giant gang-gang cockatoo, the rare frog and the rather large snake, not to mention the fire truck and Transport Canberra bus, both wrapped in Indigenous art. I must also thank the fantastic Winnunga Warriors Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sports club, which kept everyone fed throughout the day.
This event was a demonstration of the elected body’s commitment to ensuring that the new agreement is a practical document that delivers real outcomes for the community. While self-determination was the underlying principle of the 2015-18 agreement, it is at the very core of the new agreement and sits alongside the theme of strong families.
We have heard loud and clear that it is time for governments to move beyond consultation to co-design and co-production. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must be in the driver’s seat, to use Ms Fanning’s phrase, when making decisions about their community. This agreement sets us on a course to deliver that.
This agreement sets the long-term direction in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs in the ACT, outlining our joint priorities to enable equitable outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the ACT. As we build on the work of the previous three-year agreement, the extended 10-year life of the new agreement will provide an opportunity to drive long-term positive change. As Ms Fanning said at the signing of the agreement, this document spans a number of election cycles for the elected body and for the Legislative Assembly. While the action plans will change
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