MICHELLE ROWLAND MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND MULTICULTURALISM
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
MEMBER FOR GREENWAY
SENATOR NOVA PERIS OAM
SENATOR FOR THE NORTHERN TERRITORY
MEDIA RELEASE
SENATOR PERIS VISITS BLACKTOWN
Member for Greenway, Michelle Rowland today welcomed Senator Nova Peris to Greenway today to meet with local organisations providing opportunity to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Ms Rowland and Senator Peris visited the brand new transitional enterprise café operated by Marist Youth Care, joining young Indigenous employees for morning tea.
“It’s great to see young Indigenous people putting their skills and training to use in paid employment at MYCafe after participating in programs run by Marist Youth Care. These young people are incredibly hard working and committed to their job. This will be a stepping stone to a successful career for each of them,” Ms Rowland said.
“It always gives me great joy to see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working to achieve their full potential and that’s what we saw today at MYCafe,” Senator Peris said.
“These young employees have a great set of skills and a bright future ahead of them.”
Senator Peris and Ms Rowland also attended a special meeting at Blacktown Girls High, speaking with our leaders of tomorrow about multiculturalism, Indigenous health and their aspirations for the future.
“As the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to the Australian Parliament, it was a great honour to speak to the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at Blacktown Girls High on the first day of NSW Education Week, to share with them my experiences, hear their stories, and to provide encouragement for them to work hard to reach their full potential,” Senator Peris said.
“The make-up of students at Blacktown Girls High is extremely diverse with over 50 per cent of students having a language background other than English and many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls enrolled this year,” Ms Rowland said.
“These young women are incredibly passionate about multiculturalism, and are united in both their differences and their common goal to pursue the very best educational opportunities, and make the best lives for themselves and their families.”
Senator Peris also met and paid her respects to local elders at Blacktown City Council.
MONDAY, 28 JULY 2014
