Page 155 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 14 December 2016
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we all think of with great fondness. This project is an important living history which shares stories of the Ngunnawal connection with our region and the wider ACT community. The film, titled Footprints on Our Land, was made by acclaimed documentary film-maker, Ms Pat Fiske. The film shows Aunty Agnes as a survivor, an advocate for her people and a much-respected and loved figure of reconciliation in the ACT.
Another project funded under the leadership grants was for $6,560 to 2XX FM to provide an announcement and presentation workshop for aspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander broadcasters. Namadgi School, YWCA Canberra and Carers ACT were also awarded grants through the leadership stream, with the funding being used for a range of activities designed to develop the leadership skills of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
Another example of what has been achieved by a cultural grant is the Capital Woodland and Wetlands Conservation Association’s establishment of the Jerrabomberra wetlands bush tucker garden. This natural resource will be used to educate Canberrans, particularly school groups, about native plants and the traditional uses of bush tucker.
I am very pleased to say that the training and employment program related activities were successfully supported in 2015-16, with almost $69½ thousand of scholarship grants. (Time expired.)
MS CHEYNE: Minister, what outcomes would you like to see following the 2016-17 grants?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Cheyne for her supplementary question. The aim of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander grants program, as I said, is to encourage and support ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents to undertake study and training and to promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in the broader community. The outcome I hope to see from this grants round is the funding of projects and initiatives that will empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans, create confidence and self-esteem and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
With the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum and the 25th anniversary of the Mabo High Court decision, I would especially encourage community organisations to consider applying for a grant for community events that celebrate these two important cultural milestones in our nation’s history.
In respect of the scholarship grant stream, I look forward to continuing to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members to be fully engaged in opportunities for lifelong learning, particularly those community members wishing to undertake vocational and tertiary education and training.
Last Friday, I spent an enjoyable evening at the graduation ceremony for the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre’s certificate II and certificate IV graduates. These young, and some not-so-young, people represent the future of Aboriginal and
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