NT Chief Minister defends not acknowledging Indigenous people

Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has defended her decision to not acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land during an emotional ceremony.

Finocchiaro was one of eight speakers, including Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, at the event marking 83 years since Darwin was attack by Japanese aerial forces during WWII.

Of the eight speakers, Finocchiaro was the only one to not acknowledge the Larrakia people at the beginning of her address. 

Explaining her decision on Tuesday, the minister said “I just don’t think every speaker needs to do it”.

“The feedback I get from the community on acknowledgments of country is that Territorians ... feel like it’s been rammed down their throat,” she told ABC Darwin.

“This is how people talk to me about it so in my acknowledgment I acknowledged the veterans, I acknowledged all Territorians, I acknowledged serving men and women in our defence force and I was so proud.”

Finocchiaro recalled the Welcome to Country given by Larrakia man James Parfitt prior to her speech, saying anything more from her was “tokenistic”.

“People find it very divisive,” she said.

“I think it’s very fair to have a welcome to country and they absolutely have their place but we’ve just been indoctrinated by a Labor government over eight years who have shamed people into feeling like they have to do something that lacks a genuine nature and is tokenistic.”

Larrakia elder Richard Fejo, who was at the ceremony, was one of many who were appalled by the minister's actions, and described her decision as “embarrassing”.

“(My grandfather and his brother) were down there at the wharf, pulling men out of the waters that were injured, and then they had to clean up the deceased,” he told the ABC.

“When the chief minister fails to acknowledge Larrakia people at the Bombing of Darwin, she’s directly talking about my grandfather … and the other Larrakia men that fought side-by-side with non-Aboriginal people … we fought as one.”

Labor MP Manuel Brown said on Facebook it was “very concerning when the chief minister doesn’t acknowledge the traditional owners in her speeches as she did today”.

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