2015-09-15
Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan) (By leave) — It was a great moment to be part of raising the Aboriginal first nations flag alongside that of the commonwealth of Australia and the state of Victoria, and to be there with representatives of the Aboriginal community and notably of the land on which we currently stand, that of the Wurundjeri nation. As has been noted, we are not the first, nor probably are we the last, jurisdiction to take this step. Doing so was an opportunity not only to recognise the prior ownership and continuing custodianship of the land and the cultural heritage of those times back through tens of thousands of years but also to work on our ongoing process of reconciliation.
What we had on the steps of Parliament House today was more than just a ceremony. It was in fact another opportunity for an exchange between Aboriginal communities and the rest of us about how we are to live together. Aunty Carolyn Briggs, representing the Bunurong people, said a number of things about her very long line of culture, but one word in particular she wanted to bring to this meeting was the word 'generosity' — how we live together on the same piece of land. The raising of the flag was a symbol of our achievements so far in reconciliation, but what I am most pleased about is that as we walk up those stairs that flag will be a daily, constant reminder for all of us about the journey we are on together.