Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make a contribution to this debate on the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment (Jabiru) Bill 2020. I would like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of Jabiru, the Mirarr people.

This bill facilitates the execution of a township lease and the transfer of ownership of Jabiru to the traditional owners, the Mirarr people. It will be a really, really important day when this bill goes through. It makes the township lease consistent with other section 19A township leases by removing the requirement that the term of the township lease of 99 years be allowed for a shorter term of 40 to 99 years. This would allow a lease that aligns with the terms of the Kakadu National Park lease, removing the requirement that the initial grant of the township lease can only be to the Commonwealth. This will enable the lease to be held by either the executive director of township leasing on behalf of the traditional owners or a community entity representing the Mirarr people.

The Greens are very supportive of this bill. Importantly, these changes enable the township lease for Jabiru to be held by the traditional owners, which allows the Mirarr people to be decision-makers about their land. The Ranger Uranium Mine was built four decades ago and was imposed on the Mirarr people. The closure of the uranium mine and the expiry of existing leasing arrangements will occur in January next year. The passage of this bill will pave the way for Jabiru to transition from a former mining town to a tourism and services hub led by First Nations peoples. I understand how excited they are about that and what amazing visions the Mirarr people have for this area. The construction and development projects planned for Jabiru will help boost recovery for these towns, particularly post-COVID.

I would like to acknowledge and strongly congratulate the Mirarr people, who have campaigned long and hard to have Jabiru returned to the traditional owners of the land. In 2018, the Mirarr people had their native title rights and interests recognised, after first lodging a native title application 20 years prior. Putting control back into the hands of the traditional owners is an important step towards justice for First Nations peoples. It is an essential step, in fact. This bill marks an important step towards the Mirarr people realising their vision and master plan for tourism and regional services across Kakadu.

The federal government has announced a $216 million investment over 10 years to upgrade the Kakadu National Park and support the transition of the Jabiru town site to a tourism and services hub. The Northern Territory government has also promised $135.5 million to this project. I understand the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation is very keen for these funds and is raring to start the project to transform Jabiru into their vision. They want to get going sooner rather than later. I hope the government is able to support the Mirarr people as much as possible, and the corporation, to ensure that this happens in a timely manner to facilitate these visions and dreams coming true. This bill is a very important step for the Mirarr people, and we must acknowledge the hard work that they have undertaken to get to this point. We also wish them well and congratulate them and support their strength and determination to see this achieved.