Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for External Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I want to talk about Bunny Nabarula. Bunny died recently. She was a leader—a fighter for her community. She was born at Kwarta, a soak on the Gosse River at Tennant Creek Station in 1930. Her bush name was Ngarnpangali. Until the age of 12, she lived in the bush camps throughout Warramungu country, although she was a Warlmanpa woman. She walked with her grandfather to Newcastle Waters, Marlinja, more than 550 kilometres there and back to visit her relatives. She learnt from Yurtuminyi and Kanturrpa country. She learnt the dances and songs and she believed in the centrality of her country for all her life. She moved to Warrabri in 1957, and in 1959 she gave birth to her only child, her son, Ronnie. In her life, Nabarula was an invaluable source for anthropologists and linguists as she could speak many languages—Warlmanpa, Warramungu, Warlpiri, Alyawarre, Kettetye, Jingili, Mudburra and English. She was particularly helpful to David Nash, who she taught Warlmanpa, and Jane Simpson, who learnt Warramungu from Nabarula's sister, Annie. Jane later wrote the Warramungu dictionary.

As early as the 1980s, Nabarula lobbied for renal dialysis in Tennant Creek so that people in her community did not have to move to Alice Springs for treatment. Nabarula was sought out to serve on many boards and committees, including Papulu Apparr Kari Language Centre, Anyinginy Health, and Julalikari Council. Her efforts were devoted to the protection of her country at Muckaty from the threat of a nuclear waste dump. From 2007 she demonstrated in Alice Springs, Darwin and Sydney as well as Tennant Creek. In 2012 she and other women blockaded the Stuart Highway near Muckaty, protesting against nuclear waste transport. They painted the Manuwangku—Muckaty—designs on their bodies and lay down on the Stuart Highway, stopping road trains. She gave evidence to the Federal Court hearing at Muckaty in June 2014. Her evidence was impassioned. At one stage, she jumped up from her chair declaring she would let herself be run over by a road train rather than let the nuclear waste be put on her country. When the Northern Land Council withdrew the offer from Muckaty for a nuclear waste facility and the government declined to pursue it, Nabarula was delighted with the victory for her people—as well we can imagine. Her persistence has guaranteed that Muckaty will remain free of nuclear waste, and future generations of her people will be able to visit and stay connected to their lands. I am proud to have known Nabarula—proud of her passionate commitment to family, country and community. She gave so much but asked for so little in return. My deepest condolences to her large extended family and her people. May she rest in peace.