An historic partnership agreement was signed today between Westralia Airports Corporation and the Noongar traditional owners of the land on which Perth Airport stands.
The agreement, at which Indigenous Affairs Minister Kim Hames officiated, covers a range of practical and symbolic commitments to the future of the airport.
“This commitment represents the best of reconciliation initiatives and is an action of respect and of desire to pursue a shared path,” Dr Hames said.
The partnership brings into reality Perth Airport’s desire to work with Noongar traditional owners, who are represented by the Combined Swan River and Swan Coastal Plains Working Group and the Ballaruk and Bibbulmun groups.
The Minister said under the agreement, the airport would include Noongar elders in its planning and land use processes, and employ local Noongar experts in land management and cultural education.
It will work with a steering committee, including Noongar representatives, to devise a program of cultural events and projects to celebrate Aboriginal culture at Perth Airport. The steering committee will also have input into the awarding of several $5,000 scholarships each year to Aboriginal students undertaking tertiary study.
The Noongar elders have committed to sharing their expertise in land management and cultural heritage, and to assisting Westralia Airports Corporation in developing its promised program of cultural events and education.
Westralia Airports Corporation has also committed to making Munday Swamp, a site of significance to Noongar people and part of the Perth Airport estate, available for cultural activities.
The event coincided with the annual NAIDOC Week. NAIDOC stands for the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of indigenous Australians.
Further information about NAIDOC Perth activities is available at http://www.naidocperth.org
