Brave and Bold 2018 Kerferd Oration

This year’s Kerferd Oration is to be delivered by Northern Territory Senator Malarndirri McCarthy.

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy is a Yanyuwa woman from the Gulf country in the Northern Territory. She first entered the public sphere as a journalist with the ABC and more recently for SBS/NITV.

With a focus on bringing communities together and ensuring remote communities are engaged with and listened to, Senator McCarthy wants to encourage all Australians to be bold and brave to develop a united vision for Australia.

“First Nations people share a history that stretches more than 50,000 years. We have the longest surviving continuous culture in the world, yet our Constitution is silent on the existence of First Nations Peoples”, Senator McCarthy said.

“This inequality is a challenge that impacts the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples every day. It is just one of the many challenges facing our modern nation. When we talk about our future we must not make the same mistakes of the past and ensure that we do not leave anyone behind.”

Senator McCarthy was elected to the Northern Territory Assembly as the Member for Arnhem in 2005. During her seven years in the Assembly, she held the Ministerial Portfolios of Local Government, Regional Development, Indigenous Development, Tourism, Women’s Policy and Statehood.

She was elected as Senator for the Northern Territory in August 2016. Her experiences bring unique perspectives to the role of Labor Senator for the NT, a familiarity with the challenges and opportunities facing Territorians, and the perseverance and determination to drive change.