Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to acknowledge the passing of Professor Peter Buckskin. On behalf of the government, I extend my condolences to his two children, Peter and Lorraine, his nephew Daniel, his great-nephew Haymish, the entire Buckskin family and all those who knew and loved him. Professor Buckskin was a proud Narungga man from Guuranda on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula. He was and will be remembered as one of Australia's most respected Aboriginal leaders in education. For more than four decades, Peter dedicated his life to advancing rights and educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Beginning his career as a teacher, Professor Buckskin would go on to hold senior executive roles in both state and Commonwealth governments, serve as a ministerial adviser and lead major reforms in Indigenous education. Early in his teaching career at Nulungu College in Broome, he travelled extensively across the Kimberley to engage with and learn directly from students, families and communities. Peter believed educators needed to understand where young people came from in order to truly support them. That belief remained central to his work throughout his life. He understood that educational reform was about developing real connections and a deep understanding of community.

Peter built a career that challenged systems that excluded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from decision-making. He spoke openly about the role education had played in assimilation and dispossession. He worked relentlessly to create systems where First Nations students, educators and communities could not only participate but lead. Peter served as dean of the University of South Australia's David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research. He was the Chair of South Australian Aboriginal Education and Training Consultative Council, served as a co-chair of Reconciliation SA and led the SA Aboriginal Training and Employment Consultative Committee. In 2023, Professor Buckskin became the inaugural chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation, the national peak body for Indigenous education. He also served as Chair of Tauondi Aboriginal Community College for more than 20 years, continuing his lifelong commitment to Aboriginal community controlled education.

Professor Buckskin's influence for First Nations people also extended to the global stage. In 2010, he was an inaugural board member of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples. He represented Australia in international forums, including UNESCO and the working group of experts to the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, helping to shape policy frameworks that recognise and protect Indigenous rights worldwide. He was also an international representative of the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education and was instrumental in bringing the conference to Adelaide in September 2022, creating an opportunity for Indigenous educators and leaders from around the globe to come together and share knowledge and experiences.

His contributions were recognised through numerous honours, including the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service, the Frank G. Klassen Award for leadership in teacher education and national Deadly Awards for outstanding achievements in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education, among fellowships and doctorates from leading national and global institutions. These honours are small reflections of the enormous respect in which Professor Buckskin was held and which he earned throughout his lifetime of service. But Peter's greatest legacy lies in the generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, educators and leaders. He was a great mentor and someone I deeply respected. Countless lives have been and will be enriched through Peter's advocacy and unwavering commitment to cultural integrity and educational justice.

His life has had a profound impact on education, Indigenous affairs and Australia. Once again, I extend my deepest condolences to all the Buckskin family. Vale, Professor Peter Buckskin. Yo, bauji barra.