David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to recognise the achievements of one of my electorate’s great success stories: local tourism provider and Indigenous employer Muru Mittigar. Muru Mittigar was the winner for the second consecutive year of the 2007 Qantas Australian Tourism Award for Indigenous tourism. This latest accolade follows Muru Mittigar’s previous win at the 2007 New South Wales Tourism Awards. Established back in 1998, Muru Mittigar, which means ‘pathway to friends’ in the language of the Dharug tribe, is an outstanding example of the calibre of community minded enterprise contributing to the local community in the Lindsay electorate. Muru Mittigar was established under the auspices of the Penrith Lakes Development Corporation as an initiative of the Indigenous communities of Western Sydney. It currently employs 46 staff and not only delivers an outstanding Indigenous tourism experience that has deservedly attracted nationwide praise but also serves as a significant training provider for Indigenous people.

Muru Mittigar provides local residents and tourists with a rare insight into Indigenous culture, offering to visitors a range of experiences including art and artefacts, bush tucker, dance performances, a native plant nursery and cultural demonstrations. Muru Mittigar is a constant source of pride for the Western Sydney region. Muru Mittigar is also working hard to develop a strong sense of community. It delivers very real assistance to local Indigenous people seeking to learn new skills and enter or re-enter the workforce, including a very successful Work for the Dole program that is run in conjunction with JobQuest. Muru Mittigar also places a priority on the health of the local natural environment, with its staff undertaking bush regeneration and maintenance and also operating the only Aboriginal-run nursery accredited by the Nursery Industry Association. This nursery has received the highest of accolades from my wife and my mother-in-law! I take this opportunity to extend my congratulations to the team at Muru Mittigar. In particular I wish to acknowledge the general manager, Jill Ritherdon; operations manager, Lesley Edwards; members of the cultural services team, Robert ‘Rab’ Hammond, Fran McEwen, Tracey Andrews and Tom Kitchener; and members of the art services team, Kevin Welsh, Jerry Payne and John Boney. Once again I congratulate all the staff at Muru Mittigar on their fine win and their ongoing contribution to the local community and in particular the Indigenous community of Western Sydney.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! In accordance with standing order 193 the time for members’ statements has concluded.