ANTHONY ALBANESE MP
PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA
SENATOR MALARNDIRRI MCCARTHY
MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS
SENATOR FOR THE NORTHERN TERRITORY
The Albanese Labor Government recognises 50 years since the Gurindji land handback, a turning point in the struggle for Aboriginal land rights.
On 16 August 1975, Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam poured soil into Vincent Lingiari’s hands, during an official handover ceremony which formally granted the Gurindji people a lease to a parcel of land at Wave Hill cattle station.
It would become an iconic image of land rights and a defining moment in Australian history.
Almost a decade earlier, on 23 August 1966, 200 Gurindji, Mudburra and Warlpiri stockmen, domestic workers and their families, led by Vincent Lingiari, had taken a stand.
They led a walk-off from Wave Hill station against injustice, not just about their pay and working conditions but about their land.
The Wave Hill Walk-Off continued for nine years, during that time the strikers moved back to their traditional Country at Daguragu (Wattie Creek), closer to their sacred sites.
The lengthy campaign was a significant milestone in the Aboriginal land rights movement.
Their courage helped pave the way for the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) 1976 Act, Commonwealth legislation enabling First Nations people in the NT to claim land rights for Country where traditional ownership could be proven.
Next week, the annual Freedom Day Festival will bring people together on Gurindji Country to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the handback and the anniversary of the Wave Hill Walk-Off.
The 2025 Freedom Day Festival, a celebration of land rights, self-determination and community, will be held at Kalkarindji August 22 – 24.
As at 16 August 2025.
