Commissioner for Aboriginal Children Visits PLHS

On Monday June 6^th, Port Lincoln High School was privileged to host a visit by the South Australian Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, Ms. April Lawrie, and Senior Policy Officer Ms. Ashum Owen.

In her role as Commissioner, Ms. Lawrie travels around the state, seeking to hear directly from young Aboriginal people and better understand their lived experiences. She ensures their voices are prioritised in policy and practises, and drive systemic changes to improve outcomes for South Australian Aboriginal children and young people.

On Monday afternoon, Ms. Lawrie and Ms. Owen met with our Year 10/11/12 Indigenous students, seeking their views on several topics which will be included in her 2022 Youth Voices Report. These included:

• impact of COVID-19
• Black Lives Matter movement
• Raising the age
• Uluru Statement from the Heart

Our school’s Aboriginal Education team organised and facilitated the visit. After some initial hesitancy, our Indigenous students were brave enough to open up and provide their honest views and personal experiences relating to these pertinent issues.

We thank Ms. Lawrie and Ms. Owen for their visit and wish them well in the compilation of the 2022 Youth Voices Report – this important document will ultimately be tabled in parliament.