Barunga settlement was originally known as Beswick Creek and the Indigenous people living on this site were relocated from Tandangal in 1948. The Barunga Statement was written on bark and it outlined the rights of the Indigenous people of Australia that had been denied them since invasion in 1788. The statement was handed to the then Prime Minister R.J.L. (Bob) Hawke on the 12 June 1988 and called upon the Federal Government to negotiate a treaty with Indigenous people and pass laws that sought recognition of their rights and addressed their disadvantages.
'In 1988, the Jawoyn community in Barunga, Northern Territory, invited people from across Australia and the world to their annual Barunga Sport and Cultural Festival. Former Prime Minister the Hon. Bob Hawke along with Galarrwuy Yunupingu AM and Wenten Rubuntja AM, chairs of the Northern and Central Land Councils, accepted their invitation.
'At the festival, Yunupingu and Rubuntja presented Hawke with The Barunga Statement, a painted declaration that included the aspirations of ‘the Indigenous owners and occupiers of Australia’ and a request to the Australian Government and people to ‘recognise our rights’. The Statement was a product of extensive engagement between Aboriginal leaders in the Northern Territory and the Australian Government.' (Introduction)
'Twenty-five years after the Barunga Statement was presented to Prime Minister Bob Hawke, NLC Chairman Sam Bush-Blanasi wants it returned from its repository in Parliament House, Canberra...'
'Twenty-five years after the Barunga Statement was presented to Prime Minister Bob Hawke, NLC Chairman Sam Bush-Blanasi wants it returned from its repository in Parliament House, Canberra...'
'In 1988, the Jawoyn community in Barunga, Northern Territory, invited people from across Australia and the world to their annual Barunga Sport and Cultural Festival. Former Prime Minister the Hon. Bob Hawke along with Galarrwuy Yunupingu AM and Wenten Rubuntja AM, chairs of the Northern and Central Land Councils, accepted their invitation.
'At the festival, Yunupingu and Rubuntja presented Hawke with The Barunga Statement, a painted declaration that included the aspirations of ‘the Indigenous owners and occupiers of Australia’ and a request to the Australian Government and people to ‘recognise our rights’. The Statement was a product of extensive engagement between Aboriginal leaders in the Northern Territory and the Australian Government.' (Introduction)