NAIDOC Celebrations for QATSIF Schools

Department of Education, Metro South Regional Director, Ms Racquel Bushell; Aunty Kathleen Daylight, Aunty Maria Baker, and other First Nations Elders with us today; Laidley State High School Principal, Mr Michael Clarkson and staff; First Nations School Captains, Miss Matilda Dixon and Miss Shardae Bygrave; Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation staff; distinguished guests; proud parents and carers; ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you, Shardae and Matilda for your thoughtful Acknowledgement of Country. I too, would like to acknowledge the Original Custodians of the lands around Laidley and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and all First Nations people here today.

Good morning, everyone. I’m delighted to join you on this important day, to honour the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation Scholarship recipients and elected leaders, and to continue celebrating the fifty amazing years of NAIDOC.

It’s a great pleasure to see and hear the wonderful dancing and singing, to witness the moving candle ceremony—that bright flame passed to the next generation. There is so much talent on display here, and I am certain there are many families, educators and supporters in the room who are feeling very proud indeed.

In witnessing the vibrancy and energy of the many young people around us today, I would also like to acknowledge those who have gone before. The  QATSIF scholarships have a unique and very poignant funding model.

The resources they use are based on many decades of injustice—namely, the unpaid wages of Indigenous men and women in the past.

The income from a large monetary settlement, made in compensation for that wrong, is now used by QATSIF to support our young First Nations people, our future leaders, to create an enduring, positive legacy.

Since 2010, that has meant that in excess of 24,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have been awarded a QATSIF scholarship.

Each of those students and their families will be supported financially, and given ongoing support as they navigate the final, often-challenging, years of schooling.

To the scholarship recipients and elected leaders here today, I congratulate you on carrying forward the resilience, the hard work and determination displayed in the past—and on the well-founded pride you have in your rich cultural heritage, a precious part of our great State.

Amidst the workload of senior schooling, it can sometimes be forgotten that this is the beginning of your career journey.

You are the future of Queensland, our bright flames.

May this day of celebration and recognition help you to pursue your studies with renewed vigour, to feel that your dreams are within reach, and to set you on a path towards success.

On behalf of all Queenslanders, I congratulate you on this immense achievement and my very best wishes to you all for your continued success.