Ballumb Ambul Kabi Kabi (Worimi) yindamarra. Ngadu – yirra bang marang.
I have just said in Wiradjuri, the language of my people:
“I pay my respects to the ancient Worimi people where you are all meeting today – and honour their custodianship and care for country.”
It is with great pride that I also acknowledge the country I’m speaking to you from today, Wiradjuri Country – and I pay my respects to the Elders here as well.
And I extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today.
Thank you for inviting me to speak with you.
I am honoured and grateful for the opportunity to address so many educational leaders.
My respect for you, and what you do, runs deep.
I know the direct impact you have on the lives of First Nations youth – guiding, encouraging and supporting them to get the best start in life – and for that, I thank you.
It is because of people like yourselves that I have had so many remarkable opportunities in my life.
I would never have become the first First Nations woman in cabinet – without the efforts of so many dedicated, caring professionals over the course of my education.
I grew up in New South Wales and I have many fond memories of my schooling.
Whether it was primary school in Whitton, or high school at Leeton High and Penrith High - teachers ignited my passion for the education and led me to pursue teaching early in my career.
[Opportunity for personal anecdotes / stories around schooling life]
We all know how much education can propel someone to follow a path that they choose – give them the tools to shape their circumstances and those of the people around them.
I wanted to be part of that.
To hopefully inspire more young people in the same way I was inspired.
Show them what’s possible and start to see some of the generational changes our country needs.
I will never forget how pride I felt when I graduated from the Mitchell College of Advanced Education with a Diploma of Teaching – the first Aboriginal person to graduate at that college.
I was very fortunate to have doors opened for me as a young Wiradjuri woman living in Whitton.
I had access to a primary school, and a high school.
Not all First Nations people are given this same opportunity.
We know that students from regional and remote areas face extra and sizeable hurdles in undertaking high school.
Particularly young people in remote areas who do not have a secondary school close to home.
Young people too often face difficult decisions about staying at home, in their country, or pursuing higher education.
Remoteness brings with it practical and also emotional challenges that impact educational outcomes.
This is borne out in data which show us that the Year 12 attainment rate for Indigenous students in Very Remote areas is 38 per cent – compared with 85 per cent in major cities[1].
That is quite a stark difference and a clear indication we, as a country, haven’t been doing enough to support remote Indigenous students.
On our current trajectory, Australia will not meet Target 5 of the Closing the Gap National Agreement – 96 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 20-24-year olds attaining the qualification of Year 12 or equivalent by 2031.
Our Government is committed to tackling these challenges in partnership with communities around the country – and with you, the providers who will shape young people’s lives.
That’s why we’ll support students from regional and remote areas to attend school and stay engaged – helping close in the gap not just in education – but in employment outcomes, incarceration and the full range of life outcomes downstream of a good educational base.
Governments can’t close the gap on our own.
It will take a joint effort, a joint partnership – between government, peak organisations, and First Nations communities and people – to make sure every Australian has access to a first-class education, no matter their postcode.
We have to engage and support First Nations students from regional and remote Australia through the extra barriers they face – and make sure our investments are having a real impact.
We all know that many of the ingredients to success in education do not lie inside the school grounds.
It’s impossible to achieve at school if you don’t have a decent roof over your head.
That’s why Labor will invest in housing and services in homelands – a responsibility the Coalition spent ten years simply ignoring.
We will invest to turn the tide on incarceration through justice re-investment – and work with states and territories to raise the age of criminal consent.
We will scrap the CDP – and replace it with real jobs, real wages, proper conditions and more community control – so that kids have real job opportunities in their community when they graduate.
And we will help young people to remain connected with their cultures and Country while they’re at school - by teaching First Nations languages in schools.
We will invest $14 million to partner with 60 primary schools around the country – to teach local First Nations languages and cultural knowledge in schools.
Teaching Indigenous languages will help engage kids in school, build pride in First Nations cultures – and bring Australians together in a shared understanding of what makes our country unique.
Our country is made stronger and richer when we understand and celebrate ancient wisdom, knowledge, language and art, together.
I look forward to more First Nations teachers bringing their perspectives, lived experience – and everlasting commitment to the next generation into the classroom.
I also look forward to more First Nations administrators and senior leaders – making sure mainstream education responds to community needs and aspirations at the local level and set people up for success.
There is a genuine tide of goodwill among mainstream schools to be better at this.
Your sector is one mainstream schools and education systems look to for guidance to put that goodwill into action - so be bold in your advice and your actions!
Listening to each other and sharing our experiences is key to staying ahead of our collective challenges – and getting closer to knowing ‘what works’.
I always find it uplifting and hopeful when I speak to teachers and principals and administrators reflecting on how they can better support First Nations students – learning from the lived experience of others and creating their own solutions in their own contexts.
That’s why I’m impressed to see boarding providers coming together to share ideas and experiences and to listen to each other.
I encourage you to keep sharing what you know can work to support First Nations youth to engage in school – and use this final day at the symposium to fit another piece of the puzzle for our education sector.
Education is a life long journey. I am still on that journey myself.
I am confident that your efforts – and our collective efforts – will see First Nations students of today, and indeed tomorrow, take greater strides for the benefit of our peoples, our communities – and, importantly, the future of Australia.
Thank you.
[1] Closing the Gap Report 2020