Mr SNOWDON (Lingiari) (16:50): On 10 September this year, the Jawoyn people of the Katherine region celebrated 30 years since they were recognised as the traditional owners of Nitmiluk, or Katherine Gorge, and that started a historic joint management agreement between the Jawoyn people and the Northern Territory government. They've celebrated this by holding a 10-day festival. It's hard to imagine in 2019, but this was, 30 years ago, a very contentious issue. There was a huge backlash in the township, and indeed in the Northern Territory, to any prospect of land rights being recognised by the then CLP government, with many members of the Katherine community—I say very sadly—in Rights for Whites marches and mocking 'sacred site' signs, and with even the Katherine Town Council trying to extend the town boundaries to incorporate the then Katherine Gorge. It was dog whistling at its worst and it divided the town of Katherine for some time. Even at the hand-back ceremony in 1989, there were some who wore black armbands, lamenting the park's 'loss'. But the Jawoyn people had a vision for Nitmiluk as a place for sharing and a vision of its importance to the future of the next generation. On 10 September 1989, after a decade-long fight, the Jawoyn finally won their hard-fought land claim and the recognition of history, culture and unbroken connection to the country they had always been the custodians for. Jawoyn leader Bangardi Fordimail Nagarimayn said at the hand-back: 'We have this piece of paper that tells the world this is Jawoyn country, but we can't live on a piece of paper. Paper is a whitefella thing and means nothing unless there is respect for people and for country. It means nothing unless there is a future.' The end of the world did not come as some had predicted. The Jawoyn people entered into a joint park management agreement with the Northern Territory government to operate Nitmiluk as a national park and it became one of the most successful—indeed an exemplar of—joint park management ventures in this country. 'The park was still there for us all to see and enjoy and was clearly going nowhere,' as the old man had predicted. The Nitmiluk National Park joint management agreement is now seen as an exemplar, as I said, of how a genuine collaborative partnership can benefit the community and provide an outstanding tourism experience that is continually improving and innovating. They have won a number of awards, including the major tourist attraction Brolga Award in 2018. To mark the 30-year celebrations, a 10-day festival was held, with an array of fabulous events, including a concert in the gorge; evening markets; Sharing Country, an exhibition of Jawoyn culture, history and land; a family fun day; a bird festival; and many other events that saw a great number of people attend from Katherine and beyond. I'd like to congratulate the Jawoyn people on a successful festival that commemorates the 30th anniversary of that hand-back. In particular, I congratulate the chair of the Jawoyn Association, a good friend of mine, Lisa Mumbin, and the CEO of Nitmiluk Tours, Jane Runyu, and all those people who worked tirelessly to make this important celebration the success that it is. True to their word in 1989, the Jawoyn people have shared their amazing country with everyone—with over 270,000 visitors a year both from within Australia and from beyond. It is an internationally acclaimed attraction that has created never-before-realised economic opportunities in terms of training, jobs, business opportunities and a future for Jawoyn people, the town of Katherine and, indeed, the region. It's a very positive indication of what reconciliation and collaboration can effectively mean. The anniversary of the hand-back of Nitmiluk and Jawoyn's partnership with the Northern Territory government offers a significant occasion for the broader community to reflect on the success of collaboration and reconciliation. Nitmiluk has given us a remarkable story, a story that will forever mark an important time in our history, both locally and nationally. It's time we began to recognise more than 60,000 years in the history of Australia and the First Nations peoples and their extraordinary connection to country.