Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion. Can the minister advise the Senate about the benefits that the Ayers Rock Resort is offering Indigenous Australians in terms of opportunities and growth?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Kroger for the question and her continued interest in this particular area. I know that her interest is shared with everyone in the chamber because, in this portfolio, I discuss it with almost everyone in the chamber as they move around their electorates. They report the continuing frustration about the engagement of our First Australians in employment. It is one of the greatest challenges that we face and certainly one of the most important challenges, not only as a government but also as a parliament.

I visited Ayers Rock Resort a week ago, and I have to say for the first time, instead of visiting communities and saying, 'It is moving at a very steady rate and things are going sort of all right,' I was just completely astonished at the difference that people in Ayers Rock Resort have made over the last three years. A couple of years ago, before the purchase of the resort by the Indigenous Land Corporation, there was just a handful of—I think there might have been two—Anangu working at Ayers Rock Resort. When I was there last week, over 220 Aboriginal people had been engaged. This has to be a beacon to parliament that there are mechanisms and ways, and if corporations are determined then we can change. We can change the way of things not at a snail's pace—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know all of my colleagues in this place, even the ones interjecting foolishly from the other side, would agree with me.

I have met with people like Michael Cashmere from Northern Queensland—five years without employment. Now he is a trainee in the freight service department. To speak to him about the opportunity and not only the hope that that has provided him but the pride that he is now looking after his own family by sending money home is truly heartening and a real lesson to this place and corporate Australia.

Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate where the Indigenous employees of the Ayers Rock Resort come from?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are 37 Anangu that actually come from Mutitjulu. For those who are not familiar with Mutitjulu, it is a place that is particularly disconnected, and it is very difficult for people who have been disconnected for so long to make the single step into Ayers Rock Resort. Many thought that, whilst the 200-odd people from around Australia were fantastic, we simply would not be able to engage people who were simply down the road. But it is absolutely fantastic. We now have an Anangu supervisor, Xavier Kitson. I spent a bit of time with him. He is absolutely delighted that not only has he got a job—and he is a supervisor working with management—but his two granddaughters have just turned up as trainees.

This is now a process where we have got it right, and we can make sure that there is intergenerational benefit. That is why the government announced that we would be taking an additional $40 million in the Indigenous Employment Program that was taken out by the previous government and replacing that. (Time expired)

Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I thank the minister for that response. Can the minister also inform the Senate what corporate Australia can do to ensure the viability of this world-class resort?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are plenty of things that not only every Australian can do but corporate Australia can do. This is a resort that sits at the spiritual centre of our nation. It is owned by the First Australians and it fundamentally employs our First Australians. It has the most unbelievable facilities in terms of the level of corporate amenity for those sorts of occasions where people want to hold all sorts of corporate events. After two years, it is almost unrecognisable. It has had a complete facelift. It is an absolutely amazing event.

The people I spoke to from corporate Australia who were there were simply saying, 'I don't know why other people don't come here to hold their corporate events in Central Australia, principally because I get to meet Aboriginal Australians from the centre, I get to talk to them about their stories, and I have this most wonderful time at the absolute centre of spiritual Australia.' (Time expired)