NAIDOC 2008
22 July 2008On 10 July, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs joined with Elders, Aboriginal community members and guests to celebrate NAIDOC Week with the Hon Paul Lynch MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.
NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate and observe the need for change and improvements in the Aboriginal community. Members of the Department, Elders, young Aboriginal people and Government representatives to came together to do just that and reflect on the 2008 theme, 'Advance Australia Fair?'.
"NAIDOC's message for 2008 challenges us to carefully consider the day to day life of Aboriginal people, in rural areas, in regional settings and in our cities. It challenges us to ask is whether the opportunities that this country has to offer are fairly available to all," Mr Paul Lynch said at a NAIDOC reception hosted in Sydney.
Aboriginal Elder, Tom Calma, gave an inspiring speech at the event. As the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Race Discrimination Commissioner from Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission, Mr Calma is a revered figure in both the Aboriginal and wider Australian community.
The legendary Johnny Huckle was on hand to entertain and as always his performance was stellar and enjoyed by all.
"It is vital to make the most of every opportunity to bring members of Aboriginal communities together for cultural celebrations. NAIDOC again gave us the perfect opportunity to do just that. It was great to see Aboriginal communities so well represented," teh Minister said.
The Minister also took this opportunity to launch the Premier's Excellence Awards Recognising Leadership in Aboriginal Communities. These annual accolades will be awarded to individuals or organisations demonstrating leadership and excellence in delivering services to the community in a selection of categories, which reflect the State Plan Priority F1, including health, education, environmental health and economic development.
