Wong highlights Indigenous Pacific ties as strategic asset at Garma Festival

At the Garma Festival in north-east Arnhem Land, Foreign Minister Penny Wong argued that the long-standing relationships between First Nations peoples and their Pacific neighbours constitute a "strategic national advantage" for Australia. She framed this heritage as now integral to the country's foreign policy, citing the attendance of Timor-Leste President Xanana Gusmão and leaders from the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Palau and Tonga.

Indigenous minister Malarndirri McCarthy shared personal stories of historic cultural and trade exchanges with Macassar, underscoring the depth of these ties. Noel Pearson used his keynote to demand a fundamental reform of how remote Aboriginal communities are administered, proposing Commonwealth-led jurisdiction. The ceremony also saw Djawa Yunupiŋu announce the formation of the Dilak Land Council, a breakaway body intended to give his people direct control over economic development, separate from the Northern Land Council.