Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to acknowledge Wanyubi Marika and Deputy Chair Brenda Marika as well as many others who have travelled from north-east Arnhem Land. The Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land are a strong people and they have a proud history of championing Aboriginal land rights and self-determination. It is a great pleasure to welcome a delegation of Rirratjingu leaders here today to this parliament. The Rirratjingu, along with the Gumatj, are the authors of the Yirrkala bark petition, a powerful statement which was the catalyst of the land rights movement. The bark petition protested the Menzies government's decision to forcibly excise land from the Arnhem Land reserve for a bauxite mine. The Yolngu had no say in this. They were not consulted and they didn't consent. The bark petitions and the pushback from the Gumatj and the Rirratjingu helped build momentum for the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act, which was passed by this federal parliament in 1976. This year we celebrate 50 years of Aboriginal land rights, a proud and momentous achievement.

The mine on the Gove Peninsula is now coming to a close, and the Rirratjingu delegation are here advocating for their future. This needs to be a future based on economic empowerment and self-determination, and I look forward to working with the Rirratjingu and everyone regarding the important future of the Gove Peninsula and the surrounding communities.