Chairperson Bev Manton's Speech
Going Public Conference

November 20 and 21, 2008
Amora Hotel, Jamison NSW Sydney

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Distinguished guest,

Sisters and Friends,

I am delighted to have been invited to attend this important conference. 

Opportunities for women - especially Aboriginal women - to be afforded opportunities to come to the table and join in discussing issues of mutual concern are rare and extremely valuable.

Let me begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we are meeting - the Cadigal, Guringai, Dharruk and Eora Peoples.

They are the People of the Sydney Basin upon whose land we gather on today.

While today is a day for recognising achievements, it is also a day for identifying the hurdles that are still in the way.

As an Aboriginal woman who has worked in public policy for many years - I can honestly say at times, my limits have been pushed.

As one of only two Aboriginal women on the NSWALC Board there are times I have to push very hard to get my message across and convey the messages of my constituents.

It's a challenge that I endure, for the good of my people and the communities I represent.

Crucial to my ability to endure is my culture.

It sustains my spirit when I am away from my family and community and it renews me when I return.

As a mother of four - and a Grandmother of nine - I am first and foremost a community person.

Family to me is very important and ensuring women and children are represented at all levels in the community is something that I feel very strongly about.

As a Worimi woman, I have spent most of my political life trying to improve the conditions of Aboriginal people who live in New South Wales.

This, as you all would appreciate, has not been an easy task.

Even as a young child, I was prepared to push the limits.

But after a while I realised that education could be empowering so I decided to get serious about it.

There were also a couple of people who demonstrated the value of education to me, and who gave me the strength and insight to edge into the political arena.
And I did get serious about education. 

I gained tertiary qualifications but the cost was considerable. 

It meant I had to leave home to stay in Sydney to complete the courses I had enrolled in.

To be away from my kids was difficult to deal with.

So was the cost of gaining that education. 

It had considerable consequences. 

My family lived in tents in the back yard of the land we owned because we couldn't afford to pay for my education and living away from home expenses and also commence building our family home.

That too was hard to deal with.

But I did. 

I did it for myself.  

I did it for my family. 

I did it for Aboriginal people. 

I did it to show we could do it, that we are capable does like anyone else of completing tertiary education if just given the chance.

But enough of that.

I need to acknowledge my mother, a Worimi woman, who encouraged me to knuckle down and learn through reading and education.

I have gained a lot of my strength from my mother who still remains a very strong influence in my life.

My husband Kevin inspired me to consider politics as a way of fighting to improve the living conditions of our people.

Kevin has been my rock.

Without him, I would not have been so lucky.

However, my real drive and determination to enter politics came from growing up in a community where you had to fight for everything, including your survival.

I was born and raised on the Aboriginal Reserve in Karuah.

We lived in humpies and broken down shelters except for the non-Aboriginal residents - whose area in the community we were forbidden to enter, unless undertaking domestic chores.

Breaches of such rules were punished.

Mostly what I remember from those days is being permanently hungry - which got me into trouble.

Everything had to be approved - who you married, where you lived, where you worked.

You couldn't enter the non-Aboriginal area of the mission except to work.

You couldn't go to the swimming pool like everyone else.

These are all simple things - basic human rights and freedoms that the rest of the population took for granted.

I made my entry into public and political life by becoming the Aboriginal Education Assistant at Karuah Public School.

Over the years, I have been a member of no less than 15 organisations and committees.

I have managed my career while bringing up a family but I have always had the support of my husband who remains one of my strongest allies.

As an Aboriginal woman in public life, I have often had to push the limits to find solutions to the many social, economic and political problems in my area.

This week, I had to push the limits again.

Surely in this great Nation today, it shouldn't be necessary to offer a financial reward to stop child sexual abuse against Aboriginal children, but a frustrated NSW police and NSWALC have done just that.

We have joined forces to stamp out the "abhorrent" practice of child prostitution along major trucking routes.

A reward of $5000 will be given for information leading to the arrest of any person on a child-sexual exploitation crime.

This initiative was sparked by NSWALC who in March this year approached the NSW Police offering a $30,000 reward.

Many Aboriginal families - too many - have to confront and deal with such tragedies.

The act itself may be short-lived, but the effects last forever.

I congratulate the NSW Police and NSW State Government for joining NSWALC in this fight against crime.

And it is a crime; it robs our Aboriginal children, families and communities of a future.

It was through pushing the limits in these ways that I learned the skills and strategies to get the issues facing remote communities on the political map.

When I entered public life, people were living in makeshift shelters, burnt out cars and rainwater tanks in my country.

Even to this day, many of our elderly people are still living in deplorable conditions - that's why I became an advocate for my people.

To try and turn around this situation.

My agenda then was a simple one - to fight for the basic rights of my community to be self-determining and respected as decision-makers.

Now, of course, the agenda is much more complex and far reaching.

Governments often emphasise the need to address Aboriginal disadvantage across the key areas of education, employment, health, housing and infrastructure.

But what they don't understand is the crucial need to make linkages between these areas.

Government agencies have often remained stuck in their silos, concentrating solely on their area of expertise.

But if you look at what it takes to educate a child in one of our communities so that he or she can get a decent job later on, you will see what I'm talking about.

The issue of employment is directly related to that of education.

Without education, our people will not be able to get the jobs they dream of or develop the economic vision to transform their communities.

But the issue of education also relates to that of health.

If our people are suffering poor health - if a third of our children can't hear in the classrooms - then they can't be properly educated.

Health and education are in turn both linked to the issue of housing.

Poor housing and chronic overcrowding exacerbate the levels of family violence and communicable diseases in our communities.

Under these circumstances it's difficult, if not impossible, for a child to study and attend school regularly, to get an education that might lead to worthwhile employment.

If we want to make changes to improve the lives of our next generation, then we have to make them at these fundamental levels.

As the NSWALC Chair, I have a dual role that allows me to speak directly with my people and with government.

As a Worimi woman, I maintain my law and culture.

I see this as vital in remaining connected to my people.

By keeping my links with my people alive, I believe I can achieve more in taking their messages direct to government ministers, leaders and those in the bureaucracy in Canberra and elsewhere.

We have reached crisis point in many communities.

Petrol sniffing, drug abuse, unemployment are rife - we are victims in our own country.

Women and children in particular are carrying the scars of the physical and emotional abuse that has destroyed so many Aboriginal families and communities.

Aboriginal women living in rural and remote areas are one and a half times more likely to be a victim of domestic violence than those living in metropolitan areas.

Personally, I think the misuse of alcohol has been a major factor in the increase of violence.

The generation before grog took a hold on people were unscarred, now women and children are scarred by violence.

Too often a blind eye is turned to the violence against Aboriginal women and children ... in the name of culture.

Recently in Australia we had a case of a man in his 50s attempting to use traditional law as a defence for having sexual relations with a 15-year old girl who was his "promised" wife.

Fortunately the higher courts rejected this argument and subsequent legislation has now put the matter beyond doubt.

Aboriginal girls now have the same legal protection as other girls.

Our culture is not to be manipulated and used as a smokescreen to cover up the abuse of our kids or violence against our women.

As the current Chair of NSWALC, my role is to ensure the interests of Aboriginal women and men across New South Wales are represented.

I serve as Chairperson at a significant point in time.

Earlier this year, on June 10, the land rights system in NSW celebrated the 25th anniversary of the proclamation of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983.

While the Proclamation has brought many benefits and, it think it's fair to say, presents us with more and more challenges each and every day.

I just want to remind everyone of one immediate effect which flowed from its proclamation.

It repealed the Aborigines Act of 1966.

This saw the end of the discredited policy of assimilation.

The Land Rights Act has delivered significant and valuable assets to the Aboriginal Land Council network and has provided our people with a degree of economic influence.

But one fundamental point needs to be appreciated.

Land Rights was never introduced as a panacea for all of the social, economic, political and cultural ills of our people.

It is not, and was never intended to be, a magic bullet in this regard.

On the political level, there needs to be an end to the political lip service around the word partnership.

We seek a concrete commitment to true partnerships between all tiers of Government and peak Aboriginal organisations tied to a recognition of Aboriginal rights.

No agreement or apparatus, currently exists which allows organisations such as NSWALC, a legitimate platform in their dealings with the New South Wales Government or the Federal Government.

None of the current key whole of government documents and objectives on Aboriginal Affairs in New South Wales explicitly recognise the authority of organisations such as NSWALC.

NSWALC can play a pivotal role in vastly improved delivery of services to our people.

We have demonstrated we are, and can continue to be, part of the solution.

This is best evidenced by the partnership we recently entered into with the State Government to provide long term recurrent funding for the maintenance and monitoring of water and sewerage infrastructure in more than 60 discrete communities across the State.

We have commitment more than $100million to assist in closing one gap in the struggle to improve the health and well being of our people.

Shortly after being elected NSWALC's Governing Council endorsed an Education Endowment Fund to provide scholarships for up to 200 Aboriginal students a year.

We have quarantined $30 million to provide seed funding for the Education Endowment Fund.

The Scholarships are open to all Aboriginal people in NSW for students from primary schooling upwards to colleges and universities as well as technical and mature age students.

NSWALC has taken the view that we should invest in the education of our people.

The next generation of Aboriginal people, and successive generations, will be better educated and can take advantage of opportunities to create a more productive life path.

That is why I am proud of the work of my fellow Councillors.

However, my pride is saddened by the fact that there are only two women on the Governing Council.

NSWALC has currently 25,000 active members.

Approximately 60 percent of our membership is women.

Aboriginal women have been and still are the backbone of the Land Rights movement in New South Wales.

More women than men vote in NSWALC elections - yet it is predominantly men that are being voted into the leadership positions.

I believe that it is imperative that we start to develop the self-confidence of Aboriginal women to operate at the state and national level by bringing about positive change in the daily lives of women and children.

I hope to lead by example and to show that Aboriginal women can play an important role in policy formulation at every level from community through to national.

I want to see the day when more Aboriginal women are elected to office. 

And remember we are elected to office. 

We are not appointed. 

Our community has to think enough of us to want to vote for us.

I wish the Federal Government would get this simple message in its rush to push another appointed so-called National Indigenous Representative Body down our throats.

Those who accept appointments accept a poisoned chalice. 

They will not be respected. 

Our simple message to Canberra is that the National Indigenous Representative Body be elected and NOT selected.

Let our community elect their own representatives.

Just like the rest of Australians do.

I believe that every level of government and every sector - government, corporate and community - needs to consider what their obligations and responsibilities are in overcoming the divide between Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal Australians.

We need to make the connections between Aboriginal people's priorities and the appropriate responses that different sectors across the community should make.

We also must fight against are those who choose to undermine the policy direction and the good relationships across the community we've worked so hard to achieve.

The journey to this point in my life has been hard, painful and testing.

At times I have almost succumbed to surrender, to give up.

Being an Aboriginal person placed in a middle position between our mob and main stream Australia has at times been very difficult.

As an Aboriginal woman, I have carried many burdens, as a wife, friend, mother, daughter, sister.

I know the negative issues that effect Aboriginal people, and I mean everything; because I have also been affected by these things.

Despite all these obstacles; what keeps me going is the desperate need to stand up and be counted so that Aboriginal people can close the gap and be truly equal members of are great Australian nation.

I am passionate about this.

Our people, our community and our representatives are always tested by many hidden agendas such as those who still want to rip us off when we talk about joining in business partnerships with them.

We must stand united, the Aboriginal people of Australia and the many good spirited caring non-Aboriginal peoples who believe in our struggle.

We can create a great change for our people, and I mean as Australians as a whole, to claim, own, respect and empower Aboriginal people, for the greater betterment of our nation.

This can be achieved by truth and reconciliation.

Throughout my career I have had to push very hard to get where I am today.

I have had to deal with constant discrimination and racist attitudes.

I had to push past the barriers of intolerance and indifference in order to make a difference.

All women to some degree have to deal with discrimination and inequality, whether it's subtle or direct, and have to work that bit harder to prove themselves.

As Aboriginal women, we know that the challenges facing women are compounded further by issues of racism and by being amongst the most underprivileged and dispossessed people on earth.

I would like to encourage you all, whether you are young or old, to step forward and make a contribution to help break down the barriers for all Aboriginal Australians.

It is to walk together for an outcome that makes our nation stronger, that makes our nation more respected. 

That makes our nation a true global trend-setter.

But I must warn you that by stepping forward the path you tread won't be easy.

But if you persevere it will be rewarding: Truly rewarding.

We need your determination, your will to right the wrongs.

There are many challenges that you will have to confront on the road ahead - such as how we might improve health and housing for our people, how we might protect our women and children from violence, how we might heal our families and communities and make them stronger.

I encourage you all to work with us to create the pathways to make the first Australians equal Australians.

Let us walk and work together to achieve what the Federal Government is pushing - a truly equal Australia.

A big task.  But surely one worth striving for.

Thank you.