I questioned the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty on his decision to dispossess the Cabbage Tree Island community

[BUTTON] 

23-11-23

Ms TAMARA SMITH (Ballina) (11:24): My question is directed to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty. Since the Minister's recent visit and meeting with members of the Cabbage Tree Island community, has he considered their request to return to the island to rebuild their homes with the funding that was allocated to them after the 2022 floods?

Mr DAVID HARRIS (Wyong—Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty, Minister for Gaming and Racing, Minister for Veterans, Minister for Medical Research, and Minister for the Central Coast) (11:24): I thank the member for Ballina for her question and for her hospitality when we visited her electorate. I acknowledge her strong advocacy and commitment to this issue. We have committed to work constructively together to try to resolve it. I also commend the member for Lismore, the Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery, for trying to find a resolution to this complex issue. As the member is aware, I visited Ballina on 7 November together with the Deputy Secretary of Aboriginal Affairs, Shane Hamilton and the member for Lismore. The visit included the Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council [LALC], the Bullinah Aboriginal medical service, the pod village and the Bunjum Aboriginal Corporation.

The visit involved sitting with the families affected by the flooding of Cabbage Tree Island to listen to their stories and understand their pain and trauma. It was very sobering. Until this has happened to you, you cannot understand what it means to be removed from a home where not just your children are being raised but your relatives have lived for a long time. There were quite a few tears and some very frank and open discussions. These are extremely difficult circumstances brought about by an unprecedented natural disaster. The New South Wales Government is committed to supporting the Cabbage Tree Island community and Jali LALC towards a safe and culturally appropriate future on the island. The Government is continuing to engage with the Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Cabbage Tree Island community about rebuilding residential properties impacted by the 2022 Northern Rivers floods.

I am pleased to say that the New South Wales Government, together the Federal Government, will soon be announcing funding for Aboriginal organisations to undertake flood recovery works on some of their facilities that were affected. The principles of free, prior and informed consent must be embedded in communication and decision‑making with the Jali land council board and its members as we continue to support them in the rebuild of their community. A number of New South Wales government agencies, including Aboriginal Affairs, the Aboriginal Housing Office, the Department of Planning and Environment and the NSW Reconstruction Authority, are involved in supporting community decision-making. [Extension of time]

They are actively supporting community decision-making regarding residential housing on Cabbage Tree Island. This includes balancing the need to respect the local community's connection to country and the right to make decisions about their own future with the considerations of safety and flood risk. It is not an easy path. Aboriginal participation in all decision-making processes is an ongoing priority in this consultation and any subsequent planning and building work. It is important that all perspectives are considered, particularly those communities and people directly impacted by the natural disaster. They must have a voice. I commit to continue to work with the member for Ballina and the member for Lismore to navigate these very difficult issues. I thank them for the invitation to go up there and to meet with these people. It gave me an important perspective, and I conveyed to the different departments that these conversations need to continue. We have to get, where we can, the very best outcome.