E&OE……………………………………………………………………………………
First of all may I acknowledge the Eora people, the traditional owners of this land. To my parliamentary colleague, Senator Aden Ridgeway, and his bride of a week, Stephanie, congratulations to them both. Lowitja O’Donoghue, Charlie Perkins, Andrew Refshauge, the Deputy Premier of New South Wales, other distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Janette and I are really delighted to share this wonderful celebration of a great Australian and aboriginal cultural achievement. Bangarra in 10 years has demonstrated, as Lowitja said, the passion and the beauty and the world class of indigenous culture.
We all, as Stan Grant said, have our role models. We all need role models and what the members of this theatre represent as role models not only to indigenous young people in the Australian community but to all Australians is something very special. Recently they had a wonderful tour in conjunction with The Australian Ballet to New York. And the absolutely lyrical tribute that was written by Anna Kisselgoff, probably the foremost dance critic in the world in the New York Times, brought immense pride not only to those who love and care about indigenous culture and indigenous performance and achievement and indigenous fairness in the Australian community but also to all of us who see in the arts, whether it’s in dance or any other art form, an expression of the soul and identity of the Australian nation.
So tonight I am particularly pleased to be here, to say on behalf of the Government that we admire the achievements of Bangarra. And I am also here to enjoy the company and the hospitality of a newly acquired parliamentary colleague of mine, Aden Ridgeway. Aden has displayed great leadership to the indigenous people of Australia. His years as Chairman of the New South Wales Land Council brought him into contact with many sections of government and many areas of the Australian community. And he showed in those years great skill, great patience, but above all, great commitment to the cause of improving conditions for indigenous people in the community.
In the few months that he has been in the Senate, and I say this as somebody who belongs to a different political party but I hope retains the capacity to respect and value a colleague across the political divide, he’s made a very impressive contribution to parliamentary life. And I wish him well and I look forward to working constructively with him and his colleagues, accepting that we will differ on many things but remain united in our determination to produce a better Australian society.
I do agree with Lowitja that the contribution that is being made to reconciliation by Bangarra is quite outstanding. All of us acknowledge that there is still much to be done to redress the imbalance and the deprivation within the Australian community for the indigenous people. They remain undeniably the single most disadvantaged group within Australian society. But importantly, so many Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders now look at their future and look at their lives in terms which are overwhelmingly enthusiastic, passionate and positive.
And those who have made Bangarra world famous are part of the future for the indigenous people of Australia. They bring them pride, they bring them a sense of achievement, they bring them a sense of hope. But importantly, of course, they also bring pride and achievement and sense of hope to all Australians just as Cathy Freeman revels and feels a great sense of pride in both being an Australian and in her indigenous identity and sees the two going hand in hand. So it is that the members of this dance theatre feel the same way. They are doing great things for our country. They are doing great things for their own people.
And can I conclude in joining Aden Ridgeway in thanking the many corporate supporters who are here tonight. Corporate sponsorship is a very important element of the arts and culture in the Australian community. Without it it would wither no matter what its excellence might be. I thank them. I know that Aden and the other members of his Board value your support very much. Janette and I are delighted to share this very special indigenous and Australian occasion and may good fortune attend the activities and the performances of the Bangarra Theatre for many years into the future. Thank you.
[ends]