State Funeral for Faith Bandler AC
I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Faith Bandler, a tireless campaigner for the rights of Indigenous Australians.
Ms Bandler dedicated her life to fighting for justice and her contribution to our society was immense.
She had crucial role advocating for the ‘Yes’ vote in the 1967 referendum, which resulted in the Constitution being amended to include Aboriginal people in the census and allowed the Commonwealth to create laws for Indigenous Australians.
Ms Bandler also did important work raising public awareness and understanding of the heritage of South Sea Islanders.
She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1984 and in 2009 she was invested with the Companion of the Order of Australia, Australia's highest honour.
On behalf of the people of NSW I offer my thoughts and prayers to Faith’s Bandler’s family and friends.
A State Funeral will be held to honour Ms Bandler’s life.