Minister for Indigenous Australians
Can I acknowledge the Traditional Owners and the Native Title holders for this area and just thank you for your warm welcome here today.
It is a really, really special day.
There are many things that we are going to keep talking about in regards to today, there's probably two aspects I just want to focus on first up.
Firstly, it is to acknowledge the hard work that has taken place to get to this point, on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Commonwealth, but I also acknowledge my colleagues here, the Member for Lingiari, Marion Scrymgour and Luke Gosling, as the Special Envoy for Northern Australia.
Both are incredibly passionate about wanting to see the economic drive for First Nations people, in particular, across Australia.
I acknowledge the Northern Territory Indigenous Affairs Minister, Steve Edgington, and the work that we're trying to do in that space with Closing the Gap for First Nations people.
Can I just say to all the Northern Land Council staff, to the CEO and the Chairman, a real credit to you mob, seriously. It takes a lot of effort over many, many years with all our Traditional Owners and Native Title holders across the Top End.
But to all the TOs and Native Title holders here today, this is about you. This is about Elliott and Powell Creek. This is about the future for the young people here.
We talk about 70 years and I'm thinking, I don't know if I'll make it that far, but I know our little ones should.
The thing is, this is about the next couple of generations.
Everyone from around the Northern Territory and Australia is going to look at you and they are going to want to see and learn from what's happening here about this whole transition in use of energy and power by using the sun.
That is going to be a really, really exciting project going forward and I do commend you CEO and your team with the perseverance here.
But let me leave you with this, it's still going to be really hard, you mob. It's still going to be really tough.
This is a really important milestone today, the signing of the documents but it is the movement and the action that has to take place from this moment.
And can I just encourage each of you, every single group, whether it is the Traditional Owners, our Native Title holders, whether it's the Northern Land Council and your staff, whether it's SunCable and your team, and the Northern Territory and Federal Governments.
We have to always keep talking together because this project is so significant.
We need to see that there is thorough communication, especially with TOs and Native Title holders, about the steps going forward and that people understand.
They understand and are committed to the way those next steps happen and then that information is shared.
I know it sounds really simple but let me tell you after all the many decades I have been in politics and been involved with government, it is the simple things that we overlook where things can fall down.
So, I sincerely wish you every success in this.
We are proud, the Albanese Labor Government, to support the transition to a different form of energy in this country.
We know now how critical it is.
You know what, Elliott mob, you are leading the way. You are leading the country.
You're showing the country, this is what transition to new energy looks like.
We are going to walk all the way with you on this, and I really wish you well.
Yo, Bauji Barra.
Thank you.
