Two Central Coast men were among 20 young Aboriginal leaders aged 18–25 recently welcomed into the NSW Parliament for its Young Aboriginal Leaders Program as part of the Bicentenary of the Legislative Council celebrations.
Jai McEwen and Jacob Smeaton took part in the four-day initiative from June 17-20, designed to empower and further inspire the next generation of Aboriginal leaders across the state.
Selected after a statewide call for applications, each participant arrived in Sydney on Gadigal land having travelled from across NSW.
President of the Legislative Council Ben Franklin said the young participants demonstrated passion, resilience, curiosity, and a deep commitment to their communities.
“Having already demonstrated significant leadership in their communities, these 20 young Aboriginal leaders came to NSW Parliament ready to share their stories, connect with each other and learn from the experience,” he said.
Participants were welcomed by the Parliament’s Aboriginal Engagement team, led by Joe Stewart and Damon Goolagong and after touring the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly chambers, learned about parliamentary processes, ways to participate in our democracy and the purpose of parliamentary inquiries.
They also met with Premier Chris Minns.
The program provided an opportunity for the participants to meet and learn from other Aboriginal leaders who shared wisdom and modelled the resilience and innovation at the heart of Aboriginal leadership in this country.
They included Managing Director of Literacy for Life Professor Jack Beetson, Deputy Secretary at Aboriginal Affairs Shane Hamilton and National Institute of Dramatic Arts Director of First Nations and Outreach, Travis Cardona.
Participants also heard from Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience founder Jack Manning Bancroft, NSW Aboriginal Land Council Chief Executive Clare McHugh and sporting legend Timana Tahu.
Program highlights also included time spent on Country with the La Perouse Aboriginal community, a private tour of the Gweagal spears at the Chau Chak Wing Museum and a meal shared with iconic Australian Indigenous chef Mark Olive.
The culmination of the project saw all participants deliver inspiring speeches in the Legislative Council chamber on an issue important to them and future projects they have planned for their communities.
The speeches were recorded and are being shared with all Members of the NSW Parliament.
“Delivering the Young Aboriginal Leaders Program has been one of the genuine highlights of my career,” Franklin said.
“The extraordinary participants grew together as individuals and now as a group of connected future leaders ready to support each other make an impact on their communities across NSW.”
Jai McEwen said Franklin had done an amazing job.
“He organised the program and gave us the space to connect with each other and work on those relationships,” he said.
“The relationships we’ve built over the past four days are going to last for the rest of our lives.”
