I begin by acknowledging the Anangu, the Traditional Owners of the extraordinary land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to your Elders, past and present.
Ngayulu-na pukul-pa kuwari Anangu-ku mantangka tjunguringkula ngaranyi.
[Translation: I am happy to be together (with you) on Anangu land]
I acknowledge distinguished guests, including the Chair of the Central Land Council, Warren Williams; Chair of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Tapaya Edwards, the Northern Territory Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Steven Edgington, the NT Minister for Parks and Wildlife and Tourism, Marie-Clare Boothby, and the local Territory member, Chansey Paech.
I also acknowledge community members who have travelled from across the region.
And, of course, Her Excellency, the Governor-General, and her partner, Simeon Beckett, as well as my colleagues from across Parliament.
We come together on the eve of an anniversary that stands tall in the story of our nation: 40 years since the Commonwealth of Australia returned Uluru and Kata Tjuta to the Anangu people.
It was a milestone in Aboriginal land rights, and a powerful moment in the story of our continent.
It was also the fulfilment of a promise made by Bob Hawke less than two years earlier, barely eight months into his prime ministership.
And it reached its culmination on that bright October day in 1985, when Governor-General Sir Ninian Stephens arrived to hand over the title deeds before the elated crowd.
I think back to the words of Aunty Pamela Taylor, who shared this memory during the 30th anniversary:
We were so happy that after all that struggle, all the talking, the fight to get it back - that it was finally going to be given back. … Everybody drew together to celebrate, it was a really happy time.
What rings so clearly in her words is the reminder that, as Australians, we are at our best together.
We also celebrate 40 years of joint management by Anangu Traditional Owners and the Australian Government through Parks Australia.
It has brought together cultural and scientific knowledge, different governance processes and different law systems, working together and making decisions together.
As we come together to reflect on what has been achieved over the years, it is also an important moment for young Anangu to see the achievement of their community and take this into the future.
Yet, as we reflect on the past, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of us, we look to Uluru and behold a physical presence that seems somehow vaster than time.
Around the world, it is instantly recognised as Australian. In Australia, it stands as a monument to a people's love of country and their determination to see justice done.
And it stands as firmly in our hearts as it does in the heart of our continent.
We rejoice in its light and its shadows. We are captivated by the endless shifting of its colours, whether it is blazing in sunshine, brooding beneath the stars, or cascading with desert rain.
It is vast and immoveable, yet it moves us in ways we cannot always explain.
A body of stone whose every fold and ripple and cave is alive with a spirituality so profound and venerated, it is an experience of singular power just to be in its presence and fill our eyes with its wonder.
We walk here in footprints stretching across the millennia, in a landscape that has rung with Anangu voices for generations beyond counting.
Forty years ago, after decades of exclusion, the Anangu's rightful relationship with this place was finally recognised.
And the Anangu responded by choosing to share it with all of us.
Tourists flock to it, rangers care for it. All Australians are welcome here. The whole world is welcome here.
Here in the centre of our continent, there is room for all of us.
That is a privilege we can take joy in. It is something we can take pride in.
It is a deep honour for me to be the first Prime Minister to attend a Handback Anniversary.
On behalf of Australia, I say to the Anangu:
We thank you for your patience. We thank you for your grace.
And we draw together in happiness.
Uwa palya, wiyaringu.
[Traditional ending that translates: Yes, it's good]
