Caringbah South resident Jason Ardler’s untiring commitment to the advancement of Indigenous people and his leadership with the Stolen Generations has seen him recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
For his work, he has been awarded the Public Service Medal (PSM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for outstanding public service to Indigenous people in NSW.
Mr Ardler has been executive director of Aboriginal Affairs since 2012 involved in public administration and policy making and has been committed to addressing Indigenous people.
He oversaw unprecedented community consultation that led to the ground-breaking Aboriginal Affairs plan “Opportunity, Choice, Healing, Responsibility and Empowerment (OCHRE).
As the lead of the OCHRE plan, Mr Ardler presented a compelling case that represented the voices of Indigenous people and included healing within the final plan. This was the first Aboriginal affairs Policy in Australia to do so.
He also conceived and led the introduction of the NSW Aboriginal Languages Act 2017, the first legislation in Australia to recognise the significance of Aboriginal languages to Aboriginal culture and identity, as well as the broader cultural heritage of the state.
He also played an instrumental role in the NSW Government’s response to those of the Stolen Generation, including leading a team that conducted over 180 interviews with members of the Stolen Generation, allowing those affected to tell their own personal story.
As part of this process he ensured they each received a personal apology on behalf of the State and a suitable settlement payment.
He advocated for the establishment of a fully funded stolen generations reparation scheme and funeral assistance fund that was accepted by the state government.
