Appendix 2 - Witnesses who appeared before the Committee at public hearings

Appendix 2 - Witnesses who appeared before the Committee at public hearings

Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Crowne Plaza, Alice Springs

Committee Members in attendance

Senator Rachel Siewert (Acting Chair) Senator Trish Crossin
Senator Judith Adams Senator Mark Furner
Senator Sue Boyce Senator Gary Humphries

Witnesses

Gilbert & Tobin Centre of Public Law UNSW
Mr Sean Brennan, Project Director and Senior Lecturer
Mr Jonathan Dillon, Social Justice Intern

Central Australian Youth Link-up Service (CAYLUS)
Mr Tristan Ray, Coordinator
Mr Blair McFarland, Coordinator

Warburton/ Warakurna Delegation
Ms Beryl Jennings (Warburton community)
Ms Daisy Ward (Warburton community)
Ms Eunice Porter (Warakurna community)
Ms Valerie Foster (Wanarn community)

Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women’s Council
Ms Julie Anderson, Director
Ms Janet Inyika, Vice Chairperson (SA)
Ms Vicki Gillick, Coordinator
Ms Mary Anderson, Interpreter

Yirara College
Mr Tim Conaghan, Acting Deputy Senior Houseparent
Mr Alan Russ, Community Liaison Officer

Mission Australia
Mr Phillip Leslie, State Director Northern Territory
Mr Paul Phyland, Operations Manager
Mr Mark Swindells, Service Manager

Alice Springs Town Council
Mr Craig Catchlove, Director, Corporate & Community Services
Mr Samih Habig, Alderman
Ms Melanie Van Haaren, Alderman

 

Wednesday, 4 March 2009

Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide
(Held in conjunction with Senate Select Committee on Regional and Remote Aboriginal Communities)
Committee Members in attendance

Senator Claire Moore (Chair) Senator Gary Humphries
Senator Rachel Siewert (Deputy Chair) Senator the Hon David Johnston
Senator Catryna Bilyk Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion
Senator Sue Boyce  

Witnesses

UnitingCare Wesley Adelaide
Ms Sue Park, Chief Executive
Mr Jonathan Nicholls, Senior Policy Officer

Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council SA
Mr Scott Wilson, Director
Mr Christopher Perry, Project Office, Making Tracks

BP Australia
Mr Gavin Jackman, Director, Government Affairs
Mr Chris McKenzie, Fuels Marketing Program Manager

South Australian Government
Ms Nerida Saunders, Executive Director, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconcilliation Division, Department of Premier and Cabinet
Ms Kim Petersen, Director, Remote Communities, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Division, Department of Premier and Cabinet

Women's Legal Service SA Inc
Ms Marilyn Wright, Senior solicitor and coordinator
Ms Zita Ngor, Solicitor
Mrs Grace Miller, Aboriginal Women's Community Worker

National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction
Professor Ann Roche, Director

School of Medicine, Flinders University
Associate Professor Dennis McDermott, Indigenous health

 

Thursday, 12 March 2009

Parliament House, Canberra
Committee Members in attendance

Senator Claire Moore (Chair) Senator Sue Boyce
Senator Rachel Siewert (Deputy Chair) Senator Mark Furner
Senator Catryna Bilyk Senator Gary Humphries

Witnesses

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
Ms Donna Moody, Group Manager, Program Performance Group
Mr Steve Vaughan, Manager, Central Australian Petrol Sniffing Strategy Unit
Ms Adrienne Gillam, Executive Coordinator, APY Lands Branch, Program Performance Group

Department of Health and Ageing
Ms Lesley Podesta, First Assistant Secretary, Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
Ms Tarja Saastamoinen, Assistant Secretary, Family Health and Wellbeing Branch, Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Mr Stephen Goodwin, Branch Manager, Indigenous Policy Branch, Indigenous Group

Attorney-General's Department
Mr John Boersig, Assistant Secretary, Indigenous Policy and Service Delivery Branch, Indigenous Justice and Legal Assistance Division

 

Site visits and informal meetings

Monday, 27 October 2008, Site visits and informal meetings at Yuendumu, Papunya and Alice Springs NT

Committee Members in attendance

Senator Rachel Siewert (Deputy Chair) Senator Trish Crossin
Senator Judith Adams Senator Mark Furner
Senator Sue Boyce Senator Gary Humphries

The committee travelled from Alice Springs to Yuendumu and met with Mr Brett Badger, Assistant Manager and Senior Counsellor with the Mt Theo Program.

The committee attended the signing of the Tanami Regional Partnership Agreement in Yuendumu and the official opening of the Yuendumu swimming pool.

The committee travelled to Papunya and met with the following community elders, members and staff:

Sid Anderson - former Community Council Deputy Chairman (recently elected to Macdonnell Shire Council)

Lance McDonald - former Community Council Chairman (currently on Shire work team at Papunya)

Sammy Butcher - former Community Councillor (Work for the Dole Supervisor at Papunya)

Willie Nakamara - Elder

Michael Nelson - Elder and renowned artist

Linda Anderson - former Community Councillor (Deputy Principal/Indigenous Principal at Papunya School)

Punata Stockman - Senior woman at Papunya

Graham Polson - Pastor

Sarah Stockman - Community member

Murray Raggett - Community member

Sue Sifa - School Principal at Papunya

Mark Hutchings - Government Business Manager

The committee returned to Alice Springs and met with Mr Will MacGregor, Manager, Bushmob House.

 

Tuesday, 28 October 2008, Site visits at Alpurrurlam and Alice Springs NT

Committee Members in attendance

Senator Rachel Siewert (Deputy Chair) Senator Trish Crossin
Senator Judith Adams Senator Mark Furner
Senator Sue Boyce Senator Gary Humphries

The committee travelled to Alpurrurlam (Lake Nash) and met with community elders, members and staff, including:

Rod Richardson - Barkly Shire Services Manager

Ross Forbes - School Principal

Kerry Campbell - active community member

Gary Fowler - ESO/power and water

Craig Philomac - builder

John Percy - active community member

Irene Toby - teacher assistant

Jenny Mahoney - teacher assistant and elder

Willie Bookie - night patrol

Valerie Campbell - nutrition and school nutrition

Anna Flouris - sport and recreation/youth work

Leanne - Manager Health Clinic

The committee met with Alpurrurulam youth program volunteers and participants.

The committee travelled to Alice Springs and met with community elders and members at Hoppies Town Camp.

 

Sunday, 1 March 2009, Site visit and informal meetings at Mutitjulu NT

Committee Members in attendance

Senator Claire Moore (Chair) Senator Sue Boyce
Senator Rachel Siewert (Deputy Chair) Senator Trish Crossin
Senator Catryna Bilyk Senator Mark Furner

In attendance: Mrs Furner, Mr Chris Twomey, Mr Paul Phyland (Mission Australia), Mark Swindell, and members of Mission Australia's staff, Dorothea Randall, community members.

The site visits and informal meetings undertaken 1-4 March 2009 were held by the Committee in conjunction with the Senate Select Committee on Regional and Remote Aboriginal Communities.

The committee visited Mutitjulu community and met with community members to talk generally about issues faced by the community. Issues raised included municipal services, employment and the lack of effective job network services, and child care.

The committee were then shown the youth facilities and discussed youth services offered under the Northern Territory Integrated Youth Services Project (NTIYSP).

 

Monday, 2 March 2009, Site visits and informal meetings at Amata SA, Yulara NT

Committee Members in attendance

Senator Claire Moore (Chair) Senator Trish Crossin
Senator Rachel Siewert (Deputy Chair) Senator Mark Furner
Senator Catryna Bilyk Senator Gary Humphries
Senator Sue Boyce Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion

In attendance: Mr Chris Twomey, Felix Humphries, Ms Kim Petersen and Ms Nerida Saunders (SA government), Ms Adrienne Gillam (FaHCSIA).

The committee visited Amata community and met with staff of organisations and agencies and community members. Organisations visited included:

Substance Misuse Facility

Amata Anangu School

PY Ku Rural Transaction Centre

Homemakers Centre

Tjala Arts Centre

The committee spoke with staff and members of the community about services, funding, the community's needs and issues. The committees also inspected the new Substance Misuse Facility.

The committees then returned to Yulara and met with representatives of the Voyages Ayers Rock Resort and the GPT Group, Mr Bernie Boller and Mr Bruce Morris. The discussion focussed on the implementation of the Petrol Sniffing Strategy and what could be done to offer more incentives for business and industry to partner with Indigenous communities.

 

Tuesday, 3 March 2009, Site visits and informal meetings in Adelaide SA

Committee Members in attendance

Senator Claire Moore (Chair) Senator Sue Boyce
Senator Rachel Siewert (Deputy Chair) Senator Gary Humphries
Senator Catryna Bilyk Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion

The Committee attempted to visit Umuwa community however the airstrip was too wet to allow the plane to land safely. The Committee then flew to Adelaide and met with Better World Arts in Port Adelaide.

The Committee spoke with staff about the partner programs Better World Arts runs with Indigenous artists and artisans in developing countries such as Peru and India, and heard about the need for more support and information for Indigenous families connected to the arts centre.

 

Wednesday, 4 March 2009, private meeting with the Hon E P Mulligan QC, Adelaide SA

Committee Members in attendance

Senator Claire Moore (Chair)

Senator Rachel Siewert (Deputy Chair)

Senator Catryna Bilyk

Senator Sue Boyce

Senator Gary Humphries

Senator the Hon David Johnston

Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion

The committee met with Mr Ted Mullighan, former Commissioner, to discuss the findings of his Commissions of Inquiry into child abuse on the APY lands and abuse of children in state care in SA.

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