As a Traditional Owner of the Brisbane region, I believe we are on the cusp of a First Nations renaissance.
Queensland is the only State that is home to the two oldest living cultures on earth, and SEQ is home to more than a third of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
We must capitalise and deliver on this gift.
There is a cosmic convergence of opportunity: the social, environmental and infrastructure legacy of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and the national reconciliation actions of realising the Uluru Statement from the Heart, including continuing our Path to Treaty and undertaking important truth telling.
We must seize the moment and coalesce the Games and reconciliation to transform Brisbane and the SEQ region into a global centre of First Nations design, architecture, arts, culture, language, and tourism – a leading international hub for First Nations business and economic development, research, and innovation.
To achieve this government and industry must engage with First Nations communities and set the frameworks to achieve our potential.
This includes embracing Indigenous design principles within the SEQ City Deal, Olympics and Paralympics infrastructure and Brisbane City master planning.
As outlined in the State Governments Toward Tourism 2032 plan and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy Plan, a catalyst legacy project must be a First Nations cultural centre at South Bank, designed and managed by First Nations people, that serves as a centre for history and truth telling and is a thriving hub of cultural tourism and economic development.
This must be done in parallel with a multi-year investment in First Nations arts and culture, including language, visual arts, performance, and festivals – part of a hub and spoke model of cultural precincts (including on Quandamooka Country) and experiences across SEQ and the State. This will ensure a wonderful Cultural Olympiad.
Like it is occurring on Quandamooka Country, continued investment in the capacity of First Nations to Care for Country (through joint management of national and marine parks) and create environmental legacies will be integral to this success.
We are seeing wonderful outcomes for the whole community through combining ancient knowledge and modern science in fire management across our bayside islands.
Expansion of this united approach should endure to generate more future outcomes.
This could include a centre for First Nations climate change adaptation and resilience, participation in the revival of threatened species, expanded management of protected area estates, and a World Heritage listing for Quandamooka (Moreton Bay).
From ancient Bora rings to Olympic rings, from traditional Indigenous Games to the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games, SEQ is uniquely positioned to create an identity unparalleled across the globe.
As leaders we must unite and ensure this legacy for our children’s children.
