Patrick Dodson (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Senate)) Share this | Hansard source

In continuation, I'll go back to the point I was making earlier—that is, in a moment of bipartisan respect for the rights of land held by First Nations peoples, I would like to join with the minister in congratulating the Mirarr people, who have been fighting to protect their lands. I pay my respects to those who have been fighting for so long for the rights to be recognised as owners of the land. The decision by Justice John Griffiths in a special on-country hearing to recognise the native title rights of the Mirarr people is long-awaited and well deserved.

I also congratulate the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation on their hard work in leading the fight for recognition and ensuring Jabiru is returned to the rightful owners. The last 38 years of operation of the Ranger Uranium Mine cannot compare to the 65,000 years that the Mirarr people have cared for their country. It is vitally important that the legacy and impact of the uranium mine should not be seen as the ongoing responsibility of the traditional owners in this recognition of their rights. It is the responsibility of the Northern Territory government and the Commonwealth government to acknowledge the issues that the rightful owners now face and work in partnership to restore the health and environment of Jabiru and its surroundings.

I was in Jabiru a couple of weeks ago and had the opportunity to address the full council of the Northern Land Council and to visit the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation. There is a vibrancy in the discussions around the future of the park and the return of the town of Jabiru to the Mirarr. That's taking place, and it's good to see. I wish that those discussions come to fruition very quickly and that any impediments are resolved in a gracious manner. The delays in getting these lands back, getting the determination settled and then getting the lands leased back to the national park in some cases have taken over 30 years, and it's now time for all parties to build a shared future in which the traditional owners can truly benefit in their own right. I ask the minister, in the ongoing quest for bipartisanship, to get behind the Mirarr people and their efforts to rebuild their future on their own lands.

In conclusion, I wish to extend my congratulations to all involved in settling the claims on the basis on which they have agreed: the Commonwealth government; the board and directors of the Kakadu National Park; the Northern Territory government; the various traditional owners and their corporations; and the chairman and the board of directors of the Northern Land Council and its staff, especially the CEO, Mr Joe Morrison.