Afternoon Tea for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation Year 12 Graduation

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Kaye and I welcome you all to Government House today, and we extend an especially warm welcome to our guests of honour, our Australian Indigenous Education Foundation Year 12 graduates.

I at once acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbul and Jagera people, with respect to their Elders – past, present and emerging. The contributions of Indigenous Queenslanders are vital to contemporary Queensland, they enrich us, and celebrations like this really do enhance cohesion in our society.

One of the most rewarding aspects of being Governor, with Kaye, is travelling all over our State, meeting people from all walks of life.

We have been enlivened on frequent visits to the regions, engaging with our Indigenous co-citizens, wherever they may be, from the islands of the Torres Strait, to Cherbourg, Aurukun and Doomadgee, to our larger Indigenous populations in Cairns, Townsville and Rockhampton, and here, too, in the South East.

Wherever we have been, we have made a point of visiting schools – State schools, private schools, schools of the air – in acknowledgement of the truly transformative power of education.

Our graduates here today – from all over our vast State, and indeed the Northern Territory – are living proof of that.

To get to this stage will have taken many years of hard work, dedication and commitment, and there will have been many frustrating late nights – some of which may have involved intermittent procrastination on Netflix!

Today is also a very special day for your families, friends, teachers, mentors, everyone who has helped you along the way – I know you would want me to thank and acknowledge them on your behalf.  

Whether you go on now to further or tertiary studies, or on to employment, either back in your home community or further afield, your graduation certificate is your passport to a process of lifelong learning.

You should all also be proud to be part of the great Australian story which is the AIEF, which has supported more than 400 secondary and tertiary graduates through scholarships since it began in 2008.

Kaye and I thank and acknowledge the Foundation’s many generous benefactors, including from governmental spheres, and individual, corporate and philanthropic realms.

And while financial assistance is crucial, the Foundation’s success depends also on the vision and perseverance of the Board of Directors, hard working staff and community partners.

I congratulate you all once again, as we gather first and foremost to celebrate your successes – your achievements are a matter of considerable community pride, and they should be a matter of considerable personal pride. Thank you.