An Uluru Statement leader says momentum is building for an Indigenous Voice to parliament but warns it may take another generation if the chance is missed.

August 29, 2022

Momentum is building for an Indigenous Voice to be enshrined in the constitution, an Uluru Statement from the Heart leader says, as the annual Garma Festival gets underway in the Northern Territory.

The opportunity for a Voice to parliament has arrived and if it is missed it may not return for another generation, Wiradjuri man Geoff Scott warns.

“It has been something that’s been developing over 30 years and the time is right now for change,” Mr Scott told AAP at the GarmaFestival in northeast Arnhem Land on Friday.

“Momentum is building. We are on the verge of something very monumental, and spectacular.”

Mr Scott said a Voice to parliament would help Indigenous people focus on closing the gap, and every Australian should want that.

“We do not want to lose another generation. That is what the Voice is about,” he said.

He acknowledged the federal government still had a lot of work to do before a referendum could happen.

Aboriginal, political and corporate leaders have been arriving at Garma, the nation’s largest Indigenous gathering, in the Northern Territory.

The four-day celebration of the Yolngu people’s cultural, artistic and ceremonial traditions is expected to draw 2000 guests, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Indigenous leaders have continued talking with the federal government on the path to a referendum for recognition in the constitution and a Voice to parliament.

The annual event, held in Gulkula, a significant ceremonial site on the Gove Peninsula, also provides a platform for the corporate and not-for-profit sectors to engage with First Nations people.

Hundreds of attendees have arrived at the massive tent-covered site deep in the bush, including US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy.

They have listened to Indigenous educators talk about the creation of homeland schools with curriculums relevant to First Nations students.

“We are looking forward to the future,” principal Bulpunu Mununggurr said as she announced the expansion of a local homeland school to cheers and applause from the crowd.

Indigenous academic Marcia Langton called for all students to be better educated about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Why are Australian children denied 65,000 years of history and culture?” she said.

“Every Australian student is entitled to know the truth about our country.”

NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles will address the festival followed by the official opening, with a Bungul or Yolngu ceremony.

Mr Albanese will be joined by Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Senator Patrick Dodson, the Special Envoy for Reconciliation and the Implementation of the Uluru Statement.

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy and other Uluru Statement leaders are also attending, along with federal opposition spokesman for Indigenous Affairs Julian Leeser.

This year’s festival will be the 22nd gathering after a two-year hiatus due to fears of spreading COVID-19 to vulnerable Indigenous communities.

Garma’s theme is Nhanga Ngathilyurra, which is a Yolngu phrase that means to look ahead, or look towards the future.