The Northern Territory’s controversial youth crime laws are in the spotlight at a major Indigenous cultural festival.
Engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was a hot topic at the annual Garma Festival on Friday during a panel with Northern Territory Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steve Edgington and Opposition Leader Selena Uibo.
Ms Uibo accused the government of cutting Aboriginal people out of the conversation.
The move would lead to bad policy, she said, pointing to changes to youth justice legislation which passed in the Territory this week.
The changes included the reinstatement of spit hoods and the removal of detention as a last resort.
“We are starting to see a government go down a dangerous path of disengagement with the very people they are making laws for in the Northern Territory and cut them out of the conversation,” Ms Uibo said.
Asked if the government had consulted with land councils or other Aboriginal groups in the lead up to changes to youth justice laws, Mr Edgington said he did not have the information in front of him.
But he said the corrections minister had gone out to speak to “different people” about the issue.
Mr Edgington said the government was focused on tackling the “root causes” of crime, pointing to the issue of housing.
He said the focus was on “changing the landscape” when it came to remote communities.
“People living in remote areas feel like they’ve lost control of their communities,” he said.
“People want to take control of their communities. That’s what I’m hearing.”
Young people have been a significant focus on the first day of Garma, which marks 25 years in 2025.
School students and educators presented their achievements, speaking about the importance of learning on-Country and in a system which values Yolngu and Western knowledge.
Gumatj Corporation operations manager Michael Yunupingu, the grandson of the late Gumatj leader Galarrwuy Yunupingu, outlined his aims for Yolngu people in his opening address.
“My vision is to see a place that provides all-round support for Yolngu, in employment, education, health and wellbeing, and cultural laws,” Mr Yunupingu said.
As the sun set on the Garma festival’s opening day, it was the children who stole the show at the nightly bunggul (ceremonial dance).
The importance of passing down cultural knowledge was on full display as the smallest dancers kept pace with the adults on the sand that makes up the bunggul grounds, in front of crowds gathered for the festival.
Garma’s 2025 theme, “rom ga waŋa wataŋu”, or “the law of the land, standing firm”, pays homage to those who started the event.
Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden said the 2025 Garma theme also reflected the Yolngu fight for empowerment and land rights.
“This year is a real acknowledgement and a proper nod to the Yunupingu brothers who had some pretty large ideas for the Garma Festival,” she told AAP.
“Many of us had some catching up to do when we realised what they had created because now it’s a nationally iconic event attracting 3500 people each year to a very remote location.”
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