Page 3120 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 20 August 2019
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She became an official visitor for ACT corrections in January 2011, when she was appointed as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Official Visitor for Corrections, and she was later appointed as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Official Visitor for Children and Young People, in September 2013.
In 1989 she was the coordinator of the national management skills program, designed to equip Aboriginal people with the tools needed to compete for middle and higher management positions in the public service. The program was part of a commitment to equitable access for Aboriginals to permanent employment in the public sector and equal representation at all levels of public sector employment. Through a lifetime of service, Ms Whetnall empowered people, and her legacy is vast and intergenerational. She has empowered thousands of people by giving hope and opportunity.
Ms Whetnall was a member of the Dharawal people by birth, but her contributions to the Ngunnawal people of the ACT and other Indigenous communities across Australia have left a lasting impact. Helping people was a generational trait, with Ms Whetnall once saying:
Mum took people in, I take people in and now my daughter does it all too.
It is no wonder that she left such an impression on everyone she met.
Her memory and tireless dedication to community live on in her loving family. She will be greatly missed by all that knew her. Her selfless work will continue to improve the lives of future generations. Again, the opposition pass on our condolences to Ms Whetnall’s family.
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (10.13): I rise on behalf of the ACT Greens to offer our condolences on the passing of former Official Visitor for Corrections and Children and Young People, Aunty Tracey Whetnall, at the age of 56 in July this year. Today we mourn the loss of Aunty Tracey, who was a woman of significant achievement. A Bidjigal Dharawal woman on her mother’s side, and of Scottish descent on her father’s side, Tracey also had ties to the Burra Bee Dee, Gamilaraay and Dunghutti people.
Aunty Tracey lived in Canberra for over 30 years and was well known and respected in the community. She did indeed have a remarkable life. She was a passionate and proud Aboriginal woman who made significant contributions in the areas of health, education, housing, employment and domestic violence, and of course she had a particular commitment to issues of justice.
She was a community board member for a number of Indigenous organisations in the ACT, including the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee and Gugan Gulwan, and she was a volunteer for the Aboriginal Circle Sentencing Court.
One of her key achievements was her consultancy business. Aunty Tracey delivered thousands of hours of cultural awareness programs to agencies such as AusAID, the
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