Nova Peris (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak of matters of public interest. Not too long ago, mainstream media across this country reinforced negative stereotypes and negative depictions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There were very few stories of achievement and almost no stories of celebrations or pride that could instil hope or ambition amongst Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander youth. Our children could not access stories about our people achieving and breaking down stereotypes through their work in music, sport, at a community level, in the health sector, at school or in the workforce.

Fed up with this unhealthy imbalance in the reporting of Indigenous peoples and communities, one man stood up and decided to make a change. His name was Gavin Jones—a young, inspiring man born on the lands of the Ngunawal and Gundungurra peoples of Goulburn. While he grew up in between Sydney and Canberra, the family's roots were in Bigga, Binda, Crookwell and Tuena. He was raised by his mother, father and grandmother, along with his three sisters. Gavin was a passionate leader, motivated about leading the change. He was my friend. Sadly, Gavin passed away over the weekend. He was 47.

In 1993, Gavin founded Deadly Vibe, a company which forged new ground in its holistic approach to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advancement. In our lingo, 'deadly' means great or wonderful. Gavin's vision and mission for Deadly Vibe was to 'support all Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people in reaching their full potential by providing positive imagery, identifiable role models and quality media to improve community and quality of life.'

Deadly Vibe launched a series of unique and successful products, all reinforcing the importance of self-worth and self-esteem to the overall health of the Indigenous community by promoting positive Indigenous stories and focusing upon the achievements of Indigenous Australians across all aspects of society, along with targeted health messaging.

After launching the weekly Deadly Sounds radio program in 1993, in 1995 Gavin launched Deadly Vibe magazine, a first-of-its-kind monthly publication that delivered positive Indigenous stories and health messaging directly to schools and communities. This month, Deadly Vibe magazine reached its 209th issue and is among the most recognised Indigenous media products in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, reaching a national distribution figure of 55,000 per month, most of whom are students.

Commenting on the genesis of Deadly Vibe magazine, Gavin wrote in the editorial for the 200th issue in 2013 that what made Deadly Vibe so successful was that it 'put something positive in the hands of our young people; something of a high professional quality that could be read and handed around at home or school that told a different story.' Soon after Deadly Vibe magazine, Gavin launched InVibe magazine, an insert to Deadly Vibe, which was produced specifically for Aboriginal and    Torres Strait Islander people in prisons and juvenile detention centres. It delivered targeted health messages, focusing on mental health, sexual health, information on substance abuse, and Vibe's mission of promoting pride and self-worth.

The ethos of Deadly Vibe and Deadly Sounds was also refashioned into a youth event—the National Indigenous 3on3 Basketball and Hip Hop Challenge, which was a travelling event that provided a positive and engaging environment for local and community-based health providers, particularly Aboriginal Medical Services, to interact with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, especially the young. This event promoted healthy lifestyles to strengthen communities and boost self-esteem. The event encouraged sportsmanship and promoted reconciliation at a grassroots level. The Vibe 3on3 continued to attract many teams in every location across Australia. In past years, a strong event would have attracted 50 registered teams. This year the 15th season attracted almost 80 teams, the largest ever. Pre-registrations meant that events were sold out in weeks. Thousands of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids have participated in these events.

This was an educational program; schools had to register teams across school-age categories from years 3 to 10. Each team competed in a number of Vibe 3on3 events, including basketball, art, dancing, rapping and Spin Out—which was a chocolate wheel and kids had to answer questions on health, music, sport, the arts, drugs and alcohol. Gavin recently introduced Chat with a Champion, which was a mental health activity developed under the Supporting Communities to Reduce the Risk of Suicide initiative.

In addition to these activities, students attended a health expo, where the local Aboriginal Medical Service and other health providers interacted with the students on a number of levels. There was a strong focus on mental health service providers for the Vibe 3on3 events. The content for the health expo ranged from conducting Otitis media screenings to distributing drug and alcohol information. There were social and emotional wellbeing activities as well as yarning circles. Teacher and parent feedback said that the Vibe 3on3 had 'a very positive impact on the young people attending the event.' Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people not only received clear and well-delivered health and wellbeing messages during all aspects of the day but also got to see and meet the Indigenous health providers of their community and interact with local and celebrity role models.

Teachers also said that having such a proud and positive Indigenous experience, as a school, had a huge impact on the behaviour of students when they returned to school. Teachers reported that students who attended this event could actually get up and say, I'm proud to be an Aboriginal.'

The first event that would become the Deadlys was held in 1994 as a celebration of the first year of the Deadly Sounds broadcasting. Gavin's conviction about the importance of Vibe's messaging quickly propelled the event from being a low-key community get-together to a unique national Indigenous awards night, celebrating the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Last October, the Deadlys celebrated its 19th year, by then having become one of the major and most highly anticipated events on the Indigenous calendar, held at the Sydney Opera House, and broadcast nationally by SBS and watched by as many as seven in 10 Indigenous Australians The awards celebrate music, sport, entertainment and community achievement, and have put the spotlight on performers such as Yothu Yindi, Archie Roach, Jessica Mauboy and Dan Sultan. Last year, some 95,000 votes were cast and it was watched by almost half a million people. The 20th anniversary of the Deadlys was to be 2014.

Gavin established the Deadly Vibe Group and Gavin Jones Communications. Much of his work included government programs focused on healthy lifestyles and antidrug messages. In 2008, Gavin launched Vibe TV, producing Living Strong, which delivered informative health stories and profiles, and Move it Mob Style, a program which combined Vibe's promotion of self-worth and cultural pride with other health messaging and hip-hop dance workshops. Move it Mob Style was broadcast on NITV and ABC3, bringing Aboriginal faces and culture into the homes of thousands of Australians of all backgrounds. This year, Gavin was nominated for a Logie award in the children entertainment category.

Gavin was a silent leader, continually pushing the achievements and contributions of others into the spotlight, while himself shying away from accolades and recognition. Through his passionate and incredible work ethic, ambition, creative drive and commitment to the empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for more than two decades, Gavin leaves behind an impressive legacy and will be remembered as a man who made a huge contribution to his community, and helped to change the fabric of Australian society, providing successful and impactful nationwide platforms for Indigenous Australians to celebrate their achievements, survival, pride and culture. Noted for his generosity, kindness and genuine care for others, Gavin was a true pioneer and hero of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advancement, and will be missed and remembered by the countless individuals whose lives he touched.

Sadly, after two decades of this dedication, his tireless work, his innovation and leadership, his commitment to our young people, he was advised last month that funds for all the Vibe projects would be redirected to federal government programs that deliver front-line services. This funding cut came despite a recent audit which had given his ventures a glowing report and brought to an end the entire Vibe Project, which Gavin spent two decades building, including the Deadlys, Deadly Vibe and InVibe, Deadly Sounds radio, Move It Mob Style and online campaigns.

Gavin was devastated and very disappointed by this lack of support not just for the business but for what the business provided to our youth. Gavin invested his life into closing the gap, empowering our people and giving this nation something to celebrate. Sadly, this year we failed him and did not return or reward his investment. In a 2012 interview, Gavin stated the inspiration behind the Deadlys:

Like the whole Vibe organisation, I see the Deadlys as a vehicle to empower our people. Indigenous health is a disgrace, but I see our work as a way of improving this. If people are proud of who they are and where they come from, then that will lift their self-esteem. And that can only lead to better health.

Gavin Jones leaves behind an impressive legacy and will be remembered as a man who made a huge contribution to our community. He helped to change the fabric of Australian society, providing successful and impactful nationwide platforms for Indigenous Australians to celebrate their achievements, survival, pride and culture. Gavin Jones was a visionary, a huge personality and he did everything with style and flair. We all got swept up in that exuberance to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement. His work touched every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person in this country.

Former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma said:

Gavin Jones is a true hero of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples … He was selfless and he dedicated his life to celebrating our achievements and inspiring our youth in particular to develop the resilience they need to face their future. RIP, Gav.

Film, stage and television star Luke Carroll, a long-time host of the Deadly Awards, said:

The Australian community, not only the Aboriginal and Torres Strait community, has lost a genuine leader of people. Gavin Jones was a mentor, brother, father figure, and great confidant, not only to me, but to so many within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entertainment, sporting, and grass roots community.

Our thoughts are with his partner Tony, his sister Vicki, his family and extended family, the Deadly Vibe family, and to so many others who are devastated by his passing. Vale Gavin Jones. See you in the Dreamtime, brother.