Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Child Protection and the Prevention of Family Violence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a Liberal, I pay tribute to the incredible life and contribution of South Australian Pitjantjatjara woman, Kunmanara Mervin. 'Kunmanara' is a respectful reference to people of the Great Sandy Desert who have passed away. Like so many women of the bush her contribution is extraordinary, with immense intergenerational benefit for every single Australian. Kunmanara is the epitome of those who we must fight for in here, the quiet achievers whose voices need amplification—the most formidable and resilient yet, at the same time, the most vulnerable.

Born around 1945, Kunmanara's homeland was Watarru, about 2,000 kilometres north-west of Adelaide. She was an esteemed ecologist, with knowledge revered by those with a long list of academic achievements and parchments. She knew about the impact of working with Western scientists. Hers was a life spent on threatened species—the itjar itjari, the marsupial mole; the nganamara, the malleefowl; and the tjakara, the great desert skink—the nocturnal, burrowing or evasive animals which don't stand out but which are critical to Australia's ecosystem. They're the ones that get forgotten amongst the pylons that transmit electricity. She was a master in the traditional fire management that prevents wildfires which threaten people, plants and animals and in passing on culture. She was a sought-after ngankari, or traditional healer.

Kunmanara's artworks tell Tjurkurpa, or Dreaming, without Western influence. Her family collaborations are hung in Paris, Sydney and in the South Australian parliament. This woman, like so many Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara and Nganatjarara women, was a standout inspirational, awesome, credible and authentic woman, like so many women with a similar story.

This weekend, the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands celebrate the land rights act coming into effect in 1981. I note the APY celebration has been delayed many times, but I wish the community well for this coming weekend.