1972 Larrakia Petition

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The 1972 Larrakia Petition, sent by the Larrakia people, who are the traditional owners of the Darwin region in the Northern Territory, to Elizabeth II was a landmark document in the land rights movement in Australia. It was signed by over 1,000 people from Aboriginal communities around Australia and the first signatory was Bob Secretary as Larrakia Elder from Darwin and another notable signatory was Dolly Gurinyi Batcho. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The petition opened with the Gwalwa Daraniki which means 'our land' in the Larrakiya/Gulumirrgin language and goes on to state that; the land belongs to the Larrakia people, it was taken by the British, no treaties were signed and that the Larrakia were being treated as refugees in their own country. [1]

History

The petition was made in response to William McMahon's refusal to negotiate a treaty with the Larrakia following their two March 1972 petitions to him which received no response. [4] [5] This treaty sought the establishement of formal land rights for First Nations people and the recognicion of their indissoluable connection to land. [6]

After the collection of the signatures the Larrakia planned to deliver their message to the Queen via Princess Margaret during her visit to Darwin in October 1972 and they camped outside of Government House seeking to hand it to her. In response a police barricade was set up and, despite attempting to break through them, they were denied. In this attempt the petition, which was 11 feet (3.4 m), was torn. [1] [6]

The petition was torn during this attempt and it was taped together and it was posted directly to Buckingham Palace alongside a letter, dated 17 October 1972, apologising for its condition and how it had occurred. [6] The letter stated:

We waited for twenty-four hours to give our petition to the Princess. We wanted her to know the truth about the Aboriginal people of Australia. We gave a note to one of the Royal Aides telling Princess Margaret that we wished to present a petition. There was no reply.

— 1972 Larrakia Petition

Staff at the Palace received the letter on 3 November 1972, then returned the petition to the Australian Government, via the Paul Hasluck the then governor-general and it was placed on file. [7] A month after this Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was elected on a pledge to recognise Aboriginal land rights. [2] The petition is now held by the National Archives of Australia and it can be viewed in full online. [1]

Significance

The 1972 Larrakia Petition is a landmark document in the fight for Land rights for Aboriginal people and helped drive momentum for the Woodward Royal Commission. [7] As such it was a precursor for the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976. [6] [8]

In 1979 the Larrakia people made their first formal land claim, the Kenbi Land Claim over the Cox Peninsula, which remain ungranted until 2006. [7] [9] [10] [11] [12]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Larrakia petition to the Queen for land rights". National Archives of Australia . Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 Well, Samantha. "1972 - The Larrakia Petition". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  3. ↑ "Honouring many by remembering one – Dolly Gurinyi Batcho (1905-1973)". Indigenous.gov.au. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  4. ↑ "ABC News: The Larrakia land rights petition". ABC Education. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  5. ↑ "50 years after historic petition, Larrakia want Australia's first Treaty". NITV. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 O'Brien, Karen (30 October 2019). "The Larrakia Petitions for a Treaty and Land Rights". UK Parliament. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "Factsheet: The Larrakia Petition" (PDF). Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation. 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "50 years since the Larrakia flag was raised and Larrakia Petition signed". Larrakia Nation. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  9. ↑ "Kenbi Land Claim". ATNS - Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements project. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  10. ↑ "Kenbi Indigenous Land Use Agreement". ATNS - Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements project. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  11. ↑ Davidson, Helen (6 April 2016). "Indigenous affairs: Kenbi land claim settled after 37-year battle". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  12. ↑ "'Momentous day' as Kenbi land claim finalised after 37 years". ABC News. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
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