Media Statement: October 4 2024
ALICE SPRINGS RALLY TAKES OVER CENTRAL LAND COUNCIL 50TH ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND
On the eve of the Central Land Council celebrating its 50th anniversary, local Arrernte elders chose to congregate in Alice Springs for a different reason altogether. The group of elders and their supporters gathered in the town centre today calling for an Inquiry into the Central Land Council.
Senator Nampijinpa Price said the rally should be a wake-up call to the government. “I have long advocated for an Inquiry into land councils, but to see this grassroots kind of movement being spearheaded by the elders themselves should be proof that something has gone seriously wrong under Anthony Albanese’s leadership.”
Senator Nampijinpa Price said that as elders in their communities, the rally today demonstrates their commitment and understanding of their role in community
Senator Nampijinpa Price also took aim at the Minister for Indigenous Australians who is expected to be part of the Council’s celebration this weekend.
“As an Indigenous woman herself, Minister McCarthy should appreciate the significance of these elders speaking out against the Central Land Council. In Indigenous cultures, what your elders say deserves attention - they have seen and heard more than those who have come after them, and their words are not something to be trivialised.”
“The Central Land Council may have been around for 50 years, but that is no reason in and of itself to celebrate. If an organisation has not delivered or fulfilled its purpose for its people, then the number of years it has existed is irrelevant,” said Senator Nampijinpa Price.
“If Anthony Albanese and Minister McCarthy want to listen to Aboriginal voices, they have ample opportunity right now, in front of their faces.”
“If they really wanted to be champions of Indigenous empowerment and independence, they would be listening and acting on what these elders are saying,” said Senator Nampijinpa Price.
“Anthony Albanese has had countless chances to support motions for an Inquiry like this that I have introduced into the Senate, but he has refused every time. It’s simple - a Prime Minister who refuses to show the leadership that it takes to support a call like this is not fit to run this country.”
[ENDS]
Media Contact: Rebekah Hart 0459 893 181
Do you like this page?