I want to acknowledge and pay my respects to the Kaurna people where we are meeting today – and honour their custodianship and care for Country.
And I extend that respect to all First Nations people and groups here today – those from Australia and those that have come from around the world.
Thank you to Karl Winda Telfer and the Yellaka dancers for that deeply moving Welcome to Country. And Kaurna Elders Uncle Lewis O’Brien and Aunty Yvonne Agius.
And it’s wonderful to see so many young people here today.
I also acknowledge the patrons of WIPCE Dr Verna Kirkness, Dr Kaye Price and Emeritus Professor Paul Hughes.
And thank you to Professor Peter Buckskin and the Committee involved in organising this wonderful, global conference – Chris Thyer from SAATECC and Tadashi Nakumura from the Tauondi Aboriginal College.
Thank you for inviting me to speak with you.
Friends - thank you for taking the time and effort to come here.
I cannot express to you all here – how humble I feel in your presence and being asked to open this gathering.
As a young Wiradjuri woman living in Whitton in NSW I had access to a primary school, and a high school.
Not all Aboriginal kids have had the same opportunity.
Let me tell you a little of the story of the Wiradjuri – my people.
In Wiradjuri lore Biami is the creation spirit. He is the source of both our
physical and moral landscape.
The story of invasion and conquest for the Wiradjuri is a brutal one.
The horrific poisoning of waterholes and flour began in Wiradjuri country.
Massacre sites are dotted all over my lands. The scars are evident for all
of us to see.
In 1823 martial law was declared in Bathurst after Windradyne and his warriors waged a fierce war of resistance. Four months later far too many Wiradjuri were dead by sanctioned murder.
In 1842, during the second Wiradjuri wars, one horror saw all but one young boy slaughtered when settlers opened fire on a group taking shelter on an island amongst the reeds in the creek of the Murrumbidgee River.
That creek is now known as Poisoned Waterhole Creek, and their sheltering place is called Murdering Island.
I have been to these places in my Country.
I remember driving over that bridge and that creek. I stopped the car, I got out and my blood ran cold. You see, I am of the Murrumbidya Wiradjuri.
In Australia this history is in our landscape and our hearts.
And long after the massacres ended its legacy has lived on in the marginalisation and oppression of our First People.
The last sanctioned massacre was in 1928 in Coniston in central Australia.
We have come a long way in the journey towards reconciliation.
But there is still a long way to go.
We are at an important moment – about to take the next step – and ask the broader population to support a First Nations Voice to Parliament. I’ll speak more about that today.
So, this year’s theme is particularly poignant - Indigenous Education Sovereignty: Our Voices, Our Futures.
The importance of WIPCE
The World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education is the largest and most diverse Indigenous education forum in the world.
And over the past 30 years, it has grown to become a major international event in the education movement.
It is an important opportunity for education experts, students and communities – to come together and share successes and strategies.
Your work in education has a direct impact on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – guiding, encouraging and supporting them to get the best start in life.
It is because of people like you all here today that I have had so many opportunities in my own life.
Of course, I was a teacher like many of you once.
It truly is the most rewarding job in the world.
I would never have become the first, Aboriginal woman in the Australian Cabinet without it.
The Education Gap
It would be wrong of me to speak with you today without mentioning the education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
In 2016, only 63 per cent of First Nations people aged 20 to 24 had finished Year 12.
Compared to 88 per cent of non-Indigenous Australians.
This statistic is alarming, and the Australian Government is committed to making real progress in these areas.
This is why it is a central element of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap – our national framework for improving outcomes for First Nations people.
It is designed to transform the way we work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and achieve a whole range of socio-economic outcomes.
The National Agreement prioritises partnerships and shared decision-making so Indigenous communities have a seat at the table.
This is critically important, as together we ensure our students are supported to thrive in the classroom.
For our part, the Australian Government has committed to re-establishing the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Council.
This work will be led up by the Minister for Education Jason Clare and our excellent host, Professor Buckskin.
And the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth, Anne Aly is working on implementing a new Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership between all Australian governments and First Nations people.
I am pleased to announce today extra support to help more Indigenous children into early education.
As part of the Government’s plan for more affordable childcare, all Indigenous children will be able to access 36 hours of subsidised childcare a fortnight from July 2023.
We know that access to high quality early education and care can improve a child’s readiness for school.
And school readiness is an area where we went backwards last year – in terms of our Closing the Gap targets.
These initiatives will help ensure our children build strong foundations in their early years.
Schooling
I also want to recognise that a quality education is about so much more than just English literacy and numeracy outcomes.
It’s about looking at the whole picture to make sure that First Nations children have the best possible chance of success in school and beyond.
We’re supporting the establishment of formal partnerships between independent schools in the city and remote schools with a high proportion of First Nations students.
The Government is helping to build brand new boarding schools on country in partnership with Studio Schools Australia.
So that kids can learn on country, close to family and community.
And we’re scaling up proven reading programs to accelerate First Nations students’ literacy outcomes.
I am particularly excited about our commitment about teaching First Nations languages in primary schools across Australia.
This plan helps keep our languages alive and will promote engagement and attendance and an increased sense of pride for First Nations students.
This plan will also ensure that all students in selected schools gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of their local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
Our country is made stronger and richer when we understand and celebrate our 65,000-plus years of history, cultures, wisdom, knowledge, language and art.
It builds on the inherent connection between language and identity.
Voice to Parliament
I also want to talk with you today about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
At Garma this year, the Prime Minister laid out a roadmap to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
He announced a possible question and amendments to the Constitution to establish a First Nations Voice to Parliament.
So here are the next steps on the road to the referendum.
One. Getting First Nations representatives together to work together with government by providing advice and guidance on key issues relating to the referendum.
We are doing this by assembling a Referendum Working Group and Engagement Group made up of First Nations representatives to guide government on key elements of the referendum.
Two. Continue to build as broad as possible support across the country, particularly at the state level.
Three. Harness the goodwill of the Australian people who want the promise of a better future.
Because, I truly believe the Australian people are ready to embrace this once in a generation opportunity.
Informed Citizenry
Central to a functioning and healthy democracy is a well-informed informed citizenry.
There is a role for government to play before the referendum by informing Australians about our Constitution, about how we can change it through Referendums.
And of course, what an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament means.
But it can’t just be up to government.
There’s a key role for the community –
For schools and universities, for sporting clubs and religious organisations.
Information also needs to go to a variety of different groups – including our multicultural communities.
I want to thank SBS for the work they’ve done in translating the Uluru Statement from the Heart into more than 60 languages.
Modernising Referendums
It’s been 23 years since Australia last held a referendum.
45 years since the last successful one.
Indeed, the youngest Australians to have voted in a successful referendum will be 64 years of age next year.
The Voice referendum will be the first held in the digital age.
In 1999 during the Republic referendum - YouTube, Facebook and Twitter did not exist.
And just 1.5 million Australian households were connected to the internet.
Today, around 23.5 million Australians use the internet each day.
Which brings me to this important point -
The system for holding referendums in Australia is set out in the Referendum Machinery Act 1984 -
An act which is now out-of-step with the Electoral Act, which governs general elections.
Essentially, it’s outdated and needs to be refreshed.
The Act does not contemplate the broad digital communications, so common in contemporary Australia - currently it relies on voters being sent information in print form -
A pamphlet in the post to each elector describing the proposed change, and 2,000 words each on a‘yes’ and ‘no’ case - as provided by parliament.
These are issues government is looking at carefully.
Conclusion
Friends, history is calling us. Australia is on the cusp of re-defining its constitutional relationship with us – it’s first people.
The Voice referendum is our opportunity to build a different future for First Nations peoples – and the entire country.
We will have a real say
And I’ll leave you with some wise words from the late Aunty Evelyn Crawford who said:
You can’t change the past, but sure makes good looking at.