Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to respected Yolŋu elder Djapirri Mununggirritj, praising her leadership, generosity and wisdom while highlighting the growing role that First Nations voices are playing in Australia’s engagement with the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Speaking after attending the 2026 Garma Festival on Yolŋu Country in north-east Arnhem Land, Albanese reflected on Mununggirritj’s contribution to both Indigenous leadership and Australia’s international relationships.

“Yolŋu elder Djapirri Mununggirritj’s leadership, generosity and wisdom has made our country stronger,” the Prime Minister said.

His remarks followed a month in which Mununggirritj played a prominent ceremonial role during the signing of two landmark agreements between Australia and Fiji: the Ocean of Peace Alliance and the Vuvale Union.

Standing alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, the Yolŋu elder helped symbolise the growing integration of First Nations culture into Australia’s regional diplomacy.

One of the most significant moments during the ceremony came when Yolŋu elders presented the Yolŋu Matha word “bukmak”—meaning “everyone”—to become part of the language and identity surrounding the new Australia–Fiji partnership.

According to the Australian Government, the word represents togetherness, shared responsibility, inclusion and collective purpose, reflecting the aspirations underpinning the Vuvale Union and the Ocean of Peace Alliance.

Albanese said it was a privilege to once again speak with and learn from Mununggirritj during this year’s Garma Festival.

“It was a privilege to speak and learn from her again at Garma this weekend,” he said.

Held annually on Yolŋu Country, the Garma Festival is Australia’s largest Indigenous cultural gathering and has evolved into an important meeting place for Indigenous leaders, governments, diplomats, business representatives and international visitors.

Founded by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, the festival combines cultural ceremony with discussions on public policy, reconciliation, education and Australia’s place within the Indo-Pacific region.

This year’s festival centred on the theme Bukmak, reinforcing the importance of inclusion, cooperation and shared responsibility.

Australian ministers described the concept as extending beyond domestic reconciliation to encompass Australia’s relationships with neighbouring Pacific Island nations and countries across Southeast Asia.

The significance of Mununggirritj’s role extends beyond symbolism.

For decades, Yolŋu leaders have argued that First Nations peoples maintained extensive diplomatic, trading and cultural relationships with communities across northern Australia, the Pacific and Southeast Asia long before European settlement.

Modern Australian governments have increasingly incorporated that history into foreign policy, presenting Indigenous cultural diplomacy as a distinctive national strength.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong recently described First Nations diplomacy as a strategic advantage that cannot be replicated by other countries, arguing it strengthens Australia’s credibility throughout the Indo-Pacific.

The Ocean of Peace Alliance and the Vuvale Union represent a new phase in Australia’s relationship with Fiji.

The agreements seek to deepen cooperation across defence, economic development, climate resilience, education and people-to-people links while recognising longstanding cultural relationships throughout the Pacific.

Unlike many traditional diplomatic arrangements, the Vuvale Union also creates opportunities for participation by Indigenous leaders, traditional authorities, faith organisations and business representatives alongside government officials.

During the signing ceremony, Mununggirritj and Yothu Yindi Foundation chief executive Denise Bowden travelled from Yirrkala carrying a traditional Gumatj yidaki, or didgeridoo, which was presented as a ceremonial gift to the Fijian delegation.

Australian officials said the presentation deeply moved Prime Minister Rabuka and Fijian traditional leaders, reinforcing the cultural dimension of the new partnership.

The choice of the word bukmak also reflected Yolŋu understandings of community and shared responsibility.

Rather than serving merely as a ceremonial gesture, Australian officials said the word would become part of the institutional identity of the bilateral partnership, symbolising cooperation between the two nations into the future.

Albanese has increasingly emphasised that Australia’s foreign policy should reflect both the country’s multicultural society and the world’s oldest continuing culture.

His government argues that incorporating Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into diplomacy strengthens Australia’s engagement with Pacific Island countries and Southeast Asia, where long histories of maritime trade and cultural exchange continue to shape regional identity.

The Garma Festival provided another opportunity to reinforce that message.

Leaders from across the Pacific, together with representatives from Southeast Asia, gathered on Yolŋu Country to discuss regional cooperation, Indigenous leadership, economic development and cultural exchange.

Government representatives said these discussions demonstrated how First Nations perspectives are increasingly informing Australia’s regional engagement.

For Albanese, recognising leaders such as Djapirri Mununggirritj forms part of a broader effort to acknowledge the role Indigenous Australians continue to play in shaping the nation’s future.

He said First Nations leadership offers valuable lessons about partnership, mutual respect and shared responsibility—principles that the Government believes can strengthen Australia’s relationships throughout the Indo-Pacific.

As Garma concluded, the Prime Minister’s tribute highlighted the growing prominence of Indigenous diplomacy within Australia’s foreign policy, with Mununggirritj’s contribution serving as one of the clearest examples of how traditional knowledge and cultural leadership are being woven into the country’s modern international relationships.