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London: King Charles is meeting Indigenous leaders to mark the 40th anniversary of the day the Australian government handed Uluru back to its traditional owners in one of the most historic land rights decisions in the country’s history.
The King has arrived at Australia House in London to see a traditional performance by Anangu people who have flown to the United Kingdom for the gathering.
King Charles meets Australia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Stephen Smith, at the Australian High Commission in London on Thursday. Credit: AP
He is expected to meet nine of the Anangu leaders to discuss the importance of returning the iconic Australian landmark to its traditional owners, which took place in October 1985 after then-prime minister Bob Hawke had promised the handover.
The gathering comes one year after the King emphasised Indigenous culture in an address to Parliament House in Canberra during a visit to Australia with Queen Camilla, when he made the environment a major theme in his remarks.
“It is in all our interests to be good stewards of the world, and good ancestors to those who come after us because we are all connected – both as a global community, and with all that sustains life,” he said at the time in Canberra.
“That is the timeless wisdom of Indigenous people throughout the world, from which each of us can benefit.”
His visit to Canberra made headlines when Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe strode towards the King after his speech and was blocked by security guards while she shouted about Indigenous sovereignty.
A scene from the Uluru handover ceremony on October 28, 1985.Credit: Rick Stevens
“You are not our king. You are not sovereign,” she called out. “You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back.”
The royal couple appeared calm during the protest and the King spoke quietly with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese while Thorpe was escorted out of the Great Hall of Parliament House.
Talking to Indigenous leaders has been a regular part of the King’s meetings over the years – including one on Wednesday when he was reunited with Brazilian indigenous chief Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapo people.
The pair first met in the 1980s, when Metuktire fought against land clearing in the Amazon rainforest. Their meeting in London this week came ahead of the United Nations climate summit in Brazil next month, a key issue for the King given his long-standing support for action to reduce carbon emissions.
King Charles was reunited with Brazilian indigenous chief Raoni Metuktire during a reception in London.Credit: Getty Images
The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park draws more than 250,000 visitors a year and is on the World Heritage List as one of the most important natural and cultural landmarks.
Federal parliament passed the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act in 1976, allowing people to claim land where traditional ownership could be proven. The NT government resisted claims over Uluru, but the stalemate ended in 1983 when Hawke and his ministers decided to amend the act and transfer Uluru to the Anangu.
The gathering at the heart of the former British empire began on Thursday morning (UK time) and did not emphasise colonial history.
The first non-Indigenous person to visit Uluru is believed to have been William Gosse, an explorer who was born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1842 and led an expedition to central Australia in 1873. He named the site Ayers Rock after Sir Henry Ayers, who was premier of South Australia at the time.
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