Ettalong delegate for 2020 Summit

Ettalong Beach resident Roslyn Sackley will be a delegate at the Australia 2020 Summit, to be held in Canberra on the weekend of April 19 and 20.

Ms Sackley is the only resident from the seat of Robertson to be invited to attend the Canberra Summit as one of the 1000 nominated delegates from across Australia.

Ms Sackley, a Ngyimpaa woman from the Lake Cargellico region of western New South Wales, is a blind Aboriginal teacher at Eora College, Redfern, and a world-recognised authority on the challenges facing people with a disability living in Indigenous communities.

Member for Robertson Ms Belinda Neal said the 2020 Summit was a chance for all Australians, including the people of Robertson, to play a direct role in shaping the future of this country.

"I am delighted that Ros, a community leader of national standing and great experience in the fields of Indigenous affairs and disability policy, has been chosen as one of the key Summit participants," Ms Neal said.

Ms Neal said Ms Sackley had lived at Ettalong Beach for eight years and "loves the Central Coast".

Ms Sackley will contribute her ideas to the Communities and Family section of the Australia 2020 Summit.

Ms Neal said: "Eventually, she hopes to establish a national one-stop referral and support portal for all Indigenous communities across Australia".

"The Australia 2020 Summit is not about me," Ms Sackley said, "but about improving the health, the lifestyle and the opportunities for the thousands and thousands of people with disabilities living in Aboriginal communities.

"If you want to make a real difference, the trick is not to forget where you came from."

Ms Neal said the 2020 Summit concept is getting a "refreshingly positive" response across the nation and locally.

Press release, 5 Apr 2008 Belinda Neal, Member for Robertson