Ballumb Ambul Kaurna yindamarra Ngadu – yirra bang marang
In my language of the mighty Wiradjuri nation -
I pay my respects to the Kaurna people
I honour their custodianship and care for country.
Thank you Elaine Magias for the warm Welcome.
It is fantastic to be here amongst so many fabulous women to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Thank you to my friend and colleague and the longest serving female cabinet minister in Australia’s history Penny Wong for hosting this wonderful event.
It’s very famous and I can see why.
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is ‘Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress’
Well that sounds like common sense to me!
But seriously, empowering women, including First Nations women, is close to my heart
And reflects much of the life-long work I have done
And I can tell you it’s absolutely a priority for this Government.
We know, that First Nations women are vital to the strength and wellbeing of First Nations families and communities.
There is much that could be learnt from this
When our families are strong, our communities are strong.
PAUSE
Later today we will pay tribute to a truly remarkable woman -
Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue
An incredible leader and trailblazer
And it’s great to be able to honour her at this breakfast in her home state of South Australia
I had the great privilege of working with Lowitja at the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation in the late 90s
In her presence, you felt her graciousness
You felt her kindness.
You felt her power
Lowitja has been such an inspiration for generations of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians – including myself.
And our Government is proud to support the Lowitja Foundation – which will continue her legacy.
The Foundation has already made great inroads -
Setting up a scholarship program to support First Nations people to pursue careers in nursing and the public sector.
PAUSE
I’d also like to take this opportunity today to acknowledge the work of the Bunuba woman June Oscar
She finished her term as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner next month.
You might have seen the announcement earlier this week, that another woman, Katie Kiss has been appointed to the role.
June’s work with the Wiyi Yani U Thangani [Pronunciation: WEE YAH-nee OODUNG-ah-nee] or Women’s Voices report is ground breaking
It’s based on the most extensive consultations with Indigenous women and girls this country has ever seen.
The report captures the self-determined strengths, challenges and aspirations of First Nations women and girls.
I know that June will carry this important work forward in her new role as Chair of the soon to be established Institute for First Nations Gender Justice at the Australian National University.
Can I just finish up by saying that it’s important we acknowledge the incredible women in our lives
You are the change makers creating pathways for future generations to follow.
Thank you again for having me here
And Happy International Women’s Day!