Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

I thank senators for their contributions to this debate on the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment (Scheduling) Bill 2024. The bill adds an area of land to schedule 1 of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, the land rights act, enabling the grant of land to an Aboriginal land trust and finalisation of the Wakaya Alyawarre (Repeat) land rights claim. The land comprises approximately 484,000 hectares near the Canteen Creek community in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory, approximately 275 kilometres south-east of Tennant Creek.

The government remains committed to progressing unresolved land claims in the Northern Territory. This is part of our determination to increase First Nations rights and interests in land and sea country in line with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. This recognises the many social, economic and cultural benefits which can only be achieved from land ownership and continuing connection to country.

I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and the people of the Wakaya and Alyawarre language groups. I acknowledge that, for the traditional owners, this land has significant Emu Dreaming associations and many other dreamings. So many of them have waited too long for this moment. I thank the traditional owners, the Central Land Council and the Northern Territory government for their work to finalise the Indigenous land use agreement which supports this bill. This bill paves the way for the finalisation of the longstanding Aboriginal land claim, and I proudly commend this bill to the Senate.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.