Mr FLETCHER (Bradfield—Manager of Opposition Business) (09:10): I'm pleased to rise to acknowledge and mark the life of Uncle Jack Charles, a life which is a story of Indigenous achievement, of artistic achievement and of human achievement over adversity. As we have heard, as the Minister for Indigenous Australians has rightly informed the House, Uncle Jack Charles was removed from his mother as a baby and grew up with no knowledge of his own Aboriginal heritage. In 1964 he found his way onto the stage almost by accident when he auditioned for and all-Indigenous production of A Raisin in the Sun and became the understudy. He said acting saved his life: I think I owe my life to having found the theatre. In 1972, with fellow actor and playwright Bob Maza he cofounded the first Aboriginal theatre company, Nindethana, at the pram factory at Melbourne. He was very open about having spent a significant amount of time in jail, and in the 1970s while in jail in Castlemaine he developed an interest in pottery and went on to start a successful pottery workshop for inmates. He cheekily referred to it as 'psycho-ceramica'. He would say he was providing something unique there, a sanctuary in a maddening world. The award-winning production of Jack Charles v the Crown was based on his life and those of fellow members of the stolen generation, and it toured the world for eight years. In 2008, his documentary, Bastardy, told of his life and his experience of addiction. He was not afraid of bearing it all, and he used his own experience in the hope that it would help others. He believed he had an obligation to work to help save lives and turn lives around. He said: To be an elder, you have to be statesmanlike. Own your past indiscretions. Share your wealth. … … … I dearly would've loved an Aboriginal elder like me to come and tweak my conscience. … … … I've had the breaks in my life—now I want to make sure other young indigenous kids get theirs. In 2019 he embarked on a speaking tour and a series of events called ANight with Jack Charles in which he talked of his life as a gay Indigenous man, describing it later as 'the story of a reformed and rehabilitated old coot that they feel they know so well'. They ' ve seen me at my worst, read about me at my worst, and now they see me at my best. His memoir, Jack Charles, Born-again Blakfella, was published in August 2020 and shortlisted by the Australian Book Industry Awards for 2020 Biography Book of the Year. He stared in plays across the country, including in Cradle of Hercules, No Sugar and, in 2020, Black Ties. He appeared in television series including Cleverman, Women of the Sun,Preppers and movies including The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Blackfellas and Wolf Creek. A photo of Uncle Jack Charles hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. It won the National Photographic Portrait Prize in 2012. A portrait of him by Anh Do was the People's Choice Award winner in the 2017 Archibald Prize. In 2015 he was named the Victorian Senior Australian of the Year by the Victorian government, and in 2019 he received the Red Ochre Award, a lifetime achievement award given by the Australia Council. He may have been small in stature, but it was his warmth and candour that people were drawn to. He's been described by many as a trailblazer and a truthteller. Let us remember Uncle Jack Charles, a man whose life had highs and lows but who departed as a well-known and well-loved Aboriginal elder who carved a distinguished presence in Australian theatre, film and television. In his words: As an elder, I hope to be a glorious reminder of my people's culture, our place of belonging, our kinship, community and connection.