Hansard 7 Sep 2000
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7 Sep 2000 Legislative Assembly 3073 THURSDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2000 business and indigenous leaders with a common goal: driving economic development on indigenous communities on Cape York. On 25 and 26 August, around 100 people Mr SPEAKER (Hon. R. K. Hollis, Redcliffe) gathered in Weipa for the Cape York read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. Partnerships Business Summit. The business leaders, some from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and indigenous leaders from around DIVISION BELLS the cape brought enormous goodwill and enthusiasm. Of course, there were two Mr SPEAKER: Order! I refer to the Ministers present—the Minister for Transport, personal explanation of the member for who is also the local member, and the Minister Caloundra to the House last evening regarding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy, the ringing of the bells on Levels 10 and 11. I Judy Spence. We wanted a new deal for have investigated this matter and I am indigenous people on the cape—a new informed by the technicians that on both floors relationship between Government, business the volume controls located next to the fax and communities to break the cycle of welfare machines had been manually turned off. I dependency and offer new opportunities and have instructed staff to identify ways to prevent hope. The summit produced results these controls from being inappropriately immediately, some of which I will detail. interfered with. Further, I am keen to investigate additional methods of alerting The Myer Foundation provided $100,000, members of divisions. and the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation provided $50,000. The grant from the Myer Foundation will be used to help PETITIONS establish the Indigenous Business Institute, and the grant from the Sylvia and Charles The Clerk announced the receipt of the Viertel Charitable Foundation will go towards a following petition— specific project administered by the institute. The Indigenous Business Institute, whose directors include Aboriginal leader Noel Dalby Call Centre, Ergon Energy Pearson and the Myer Foundation Chief From Mr Borbidge (608 petitioners) Executive Officer, Charles Lane, will develop requesting the House to call on the Beattie and provide culturally appropriate business Labor Government to intervene in the skills, training and mentoring. decision-making process by Ergon Energy to Comalco has announced that it will hand ensure that a call centre and Ergon Energy over the Sudley Park pastoral property to the office remains located in Dalby. traditional owners for use as an agricultural training college for indigenous youth. The property includes 6,000 cattle and some $4m Fuel Prices worth of property and improvements. Fibremax From Mr Dalgleish (1,007 petitioners) has proposed to establish and operate a live requesting the House to redirect the funds set cattle export business as a joint venture with aside for further inquiries into the high price of indigenous partners. That would involve using petroleum into finding a long-term solution to Fibremax stockfeed technology. the problem and that this money be spent on Businessman Bernard Power has offered research and development of an alternative to establish, in consultation with the Napranum fuel supply, e.g. ethanol, liquid coal, natural and other relevant Aboriginal communities, a gas, light crude oil, which are all resources gallery and exhibition centre for indigenous available in large quantities in Queensland and arts and crafts in his Weipa facilities. Mr Power would boost the economy of rural and regional also undertook to set up a hospitality and Queensland. catering training program for indigenous youth Petitions received. at his hotel in Weipa. Mr Don Freeman, of the Tjapukai Aboriginal theme park in Cairns, offered to assist indigenous people with MINISTERIAL STATEMENT training in the tourism and hospitality industries. Mr Freeman offered to provide Cape York Partnerships Business Summit transitional training for indigenous people who Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central— receive some initial training in the cape but ALP) (Premier) (9.33 a.m.), by leave: Weipa then want further training outside of their local has been witness to an historic gathering of community. 3074 Ministerial Statement 7 Sep 2000 The Cairns Region Economic Australian South Sea Islanders as a distinct Development Corporation undertook to cultural group in Queensland. For the connect their members with indigenous information of members, I table the communities and organisations to build Queensland Government's recognition ongoing business alliances. The Minister for statement of the Australian South Sea Transport and Minister for Main Roads, Steve Islander community which, as honourable Bredhauer, announced that Queensland Rail members can see, has been signed by both would provide two scholarships worth $10,000 the Leader of the Opposition and me. I thank a year for five years. That is a total him for his cooperation and his bipartisan commitment of $100,000. These would be commitment to what we are doing today in this used to further educate and promote artists at formal recognition. I will be moving that my the Lockhart River Art and Cultural Gang. ministerial statement be noted so that the The Department of State Development is Leader of the Opposition will have an to review the use of digital technology across opportunity to address this issue at the Government services in the cape, with a view conclusion. I also wish to acknowledge in the to helping progress the Cape York digital public gallery representatives of the network project. As well, the department and community, some of whom have travelled the University of Queensland will deal with overnight by bus to witness this occasion. On issues such as intellectual property and behalf of all members of Parliament, I say to bandwidth. The Queensland Government can them that it is an honour to have them with us help by not setting up hurdles to economic today. development but encouraging them. I have From this day, Australian South Sea pledged that we will do all we can to facilitate Islanders will be recognised as a distinct worthwhile proposals. cultural group in Queensland. Over several My sincere thanks go to everyone for their generations, the community has called for generosity and commitment to productive such recognition to acknowledge their special partnerships with the indigenous people of place in the history of this State. South Sea Cape York. This is a solid result and justifies Islanders were first brought to Queensland the Government expenditure in providing more than 130 years ago as cheap labour. transport and other costs to make this That is a sorry part of the history of this State, partnership summit a success. I am confident but I think on an occasion such as this we that it is just the start of the benefits that will should be up-front and deal with it openly. flow from this unprecedented gathering of Many people were tricked into coming, others business and indigenous leaders. were blackbirded, which simply means that I am grateful to every one of the they were kidnapped. Men, women and participants at the summit, and I thank them children were forced to work long hours for low publicly today. It has been even more wages, or no wages, in slave-like conditions, successful than I had hoped and will be enduring poor living standards and a mortality followed by a series of smaller focus group rate five times greater than Europeans of the meetings that will progress the ideas and time. With the advent of the infamous White partnerships that have been developed. The Australia Policy, the majority of Melanesians summit is a major plank in the Queensland brought to Queensland were forced to leave, Government's Cape York Partnerships despite having helped enrich our State strategy. This is the Government's formal offer through their backbreaking work in the sugar to improve the quality of life in indigenous industry and many other industries. communities on Cape York by working in As we plan to celebrate the Centenary of partnerships in the areas of economic and Federation, it is worth noting that some of the social development, strengthening families earliest Commonwealth legislation passed in and governance. Australia ordered the deportation of South Sea Islanders. Research into the Queensland MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Government's own Department of the Premier and Cabinet—my department—has unearthed South Sea Islander Recognition Statement a substantial amount of historical material that Hon. P. D. BEATTIE (Brisbane Central— shows the effects of the policies of the time on ALP) (Premier) (9.37 a.m.), by leave: I seek the lives of South Sea Islander people. In the support of all members of the House in 1992, a human rights and equal opportunity acknowledging a very significant advance. report found that the community had suffered Today my Government will right a wrong that from a century of racial discrimination and has existed for more than a century in harsh treatment and was the most Queensland. Today we formally recognise disadvantaged non-indigenous community in 7 Sep 2000 Ministerial Statement 3075 Australia. While the Federal Labor Parliament. I look forward to seeing them later Government of the day responded to the today. I move— report and recognised Australian-born South "That the House notes this Sea Islanders, no formal recognition statement statement." was presented to the community. Hon. R. E. BORBIDGE (Surfers Queensland, the main beneficiary of the Paradise—NPA) (Leader of the Opposition) work of South Sea Islanders and the home of (9.43 a.m.): Today I am pleased to join with so many descendants, has until today failed to the Premier in this significant bipartisan event. formally recognise this community. Today we In doing so, I also acknowledge the are setting that right. Formal recognition representatives of the South Sea Islander means that Queensland Government community who are present in the public departments and agencies must ensure that gallery for this very important and very historic Australian South Sea Islanders have equal event.