At the same time it was disappointing he chose to trivialise my view as one of "fear and loathing" and of "bluntly opposing economic links with China" - this coming from a would-be representative in an Australian parliament.

His letter, essentially an array of statistics, stated the bleeding obvious - we are well aware of the enormity of the Chinese economy and the impact this has had on the world in the last couple of decades. Any casual read of a national newspaper reveals this on a daily basis. Again, anyone with an interest in domestic affairs well knows that the China trade has kept the Australian economy healthy for some years.

The message I believe I have been quite clear in making, and Jess Jennings appears to have missed, is twofold in nature. Firstly, that trade between Australia and China is best left at the national level. As a former employee of Austrade, I can assure Jess Jennings there are very capable, experienced people in that organisation who are very mindful of the pitfalls of dealing with China since that country re-engaged with the world in the 1970s.

In dealing with China, as with Qatar, we deal with the State - this is the difference. In all other countries, trade occurs with private companies and individuals. In both China and Qatar, the State has either partial or full control of all trade arrangements.

Secondly, China, a communist authoritarian state, has declared an expansionist foreign policy, and it would appear, given the massive level of investment in our country, we are an integral part of this expansion - my feeling is that our bureaucracies juggle the obvious dilemmas in this relationship well. Independent arrangements such as that advocated by Jess Jennings only serve to splinter our nation.

I would urge Jess Jennings to shelve his plans and to work with what trade avenues we have already established in this country, not those of China.

NAIDOC Week runs from July 2 to 9 and has the theme “Our Language Matters”. The emphasis of this week is to celebrate the unique role language plays in linking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to their cultural identity, land and people. 

Today only around 120 of some 250 distinct indigenous languages are still spoken, with many at risk of being lost.  

The unfortunate truth is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians make up around 27 per cent of our prison population, have high suicide rates, and an overall lower life expectancy.

We cannot sit idly while these issues are still faced by Australians.

Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has been a privilege. I’ve seen so many young people turn their lives around through simply connecting with their culture, land and people. 

We know that connecting young indigenous people with Aboriginal elders and our own Aboriginal youth workers ensures that they have cultural guidance in their most formative years. In some cases, all our troubled young people need is kindness and guidance from cultural leaders to turn their lives around.

This NAIDOC Week, I implore you to take part in your local NAIDOC Week events. Join me in encouraging our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to connect with their community and history and achieve greatness. 

To read more about NAIDOC Week and to find your event, please visit: http://www.naidoc.org.au/events-calendar