Wanyubi Marika carries a significant burden as he transitions from the tranquil golden sands of Yolgnu country to the polished halls of Parliament House. As part of a delegation from the Rirratjingu Clan, his mission is clear: to engage with federal ministers to secure a viable future for his town in the remote reaches of north-east Arnhem Land. Yet, challenges loom large as the town’s population and services show signs of dwindling.

“There’s a real fear that Nhulunbuy might cease to exist,” Marika confessed to SBS News, voicing a concern shared by many in his community.

Nhulunbuy, situated on the Northern Territory’s Gove Peninsula, is confronting an uncertain future. This trepidation stems from Rio Tinto’s decision to scale down its bauxite mining operations, a move poised to destabilize the local economy. For decades, the mine has been the town’s largest employer, serving as an economic linchpin.

According to the 2021 Census, the town’s population barely exceeded 3,000 residents. It is a significant area for 13 Yolgnu Aboriginal clans, including the Rirratjingu, who hold stewardship over Nhulunbuy. This town serves as a vital hub, connecting a network of smaller communities and homelands, with local clans estimating it supports up to 10,000 people.

According to the last Census in 2021, the population was just over 3,000 people, and the area is home to 13 Yolgnu Aboriginal clans, including Rirratjingu, who have responsibility for Nhulunbuy itself.

The town is a hub for a network of other small communities and homelands. Local clans estimate Nhulunbuy serves up to 10,000 people.

The mine’s closure is expected to trigger an exodus of Balanda — non-Indigenous people — from the area.

But while there are big plans to lean into cultural tourism and a range of economic developments from fuel stations to property sales, a grim reality for Nhulunbuy is biting.

While the mine was operating, Woolworths opened a supermarket in the town, bringing the food in by ocean barge on a painstaking journey.

In such a tiny and far-flung place, the supermarket has been an important drawcard in attracting mine workers along with Balanda staff for essential jobs in health services, education and policing.

Bilingual education leader Yalmay Marika-Yunupingu, who is also part of the Canberra delegation, is really worried that Woolworths may walk away, leaving kids without healthy food.

“We don’t want to lose Nhulunbuy, we want Woolies to stay,” she said.

“People rely on the supermarket.”

‘Our most difficult store to access’

Rio Tinto says it’s winding up mining operations by the end of the decade, though Woolworths is looking to find another organisation to take over its operations in Nhulunbuy much sooner.

“Nhulunbuy is one of our most remote stores. All stock is delivered by ocean barge, making it our most difficult store to access,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.

“Our store was established to serve the community that grew around the local mine. With Rio Tinto’s planned exit, we are considering how the mine’s closure will impact our store’s viability.”

The major Australian supermarket is in talks with an organisation it has not named, about handing over its store next year in a phased transition.

“We are in close consultation with our Nhulunbuy team members and traditional owners, and we understand the importance of providing certainty for our customers and team as soon as we can,” the spokesperson said.

Part of Rirratjingu Clan delegation’s visit to Capital Hill is about lobbying the federal government to help encourage Woolworths to stay.

They also want the government to commit to providing essential services to the town, and supporting its economic future.

The Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy, who is a federal senator representing the Northern Territory including Arnhem Land, knows the region’s potential and limitations.

She was among a string of Cabinet ministers who met with the clan representatives.

“Minister McCarthy was pleased to meet with the board of Rirratjingu in Canberra last week and recognises their strong advocacy on behalf of the Nhulunbuy region,” a government spokesperson said.

“The federal government is committed to working with Yolŋu Traditional Owners and the Northern Territory Government to ensure a positive future for Nhulunbuy.”

‘I would like people to stay’

The federal government first approved mining on the Arnhem Land Reserve in 1963, sparking a wave of protest from the Yolgnu clans over a lack of consultation and consent.

In response,13 clans wrote the Yirrkala bark petitions and sent them to Canberra, expressing their unhappiness that a deal had been made without them and that it encroached on sacred sites.

The clans unsuccessfully tried to take the mining company, then Nabalco, to the NT Supreme Court.

But they did manage to make change.

Their advocacy led to the Northern Territory creating the first land rights legislation in Australia.

Wanyubi Marika, Yalmay Yunupingu and founding member of the Yothu Yindu band Witiyana Marika all travelled to Canberra for the meetings and visited the the historic petition’s public display — under low light to preserve the delicate documents.

Witiyana Marika has travelled the world with Yothu Yindi, spreading a message about land rights that sprang directly from his own community experiences.

“My vision, accepted through protest, was not to desecrate sacred sites,” he said. “We have rights, the founding fathers of the land rights stood and fought.”

But he wants to create a community where Balanda people feel comfortable remaining, rather than leaving with the mine.

“I would like to see our people, our family, Balanda people, to stay,” he said. “That’s their home and they have a business, and we would like to have Balanda families in our arms and beside us, not to go.”

He says the continued forced removal of children and youth incarceration also needs to be addressed by the Territory and federal governments.

“The other thing I would like to see the health department the government, to ban, or just not steal the babies from their mothers and taken away now,” he said.

“As well, young, young juveniles are put in jail for no reason.”

As chairperson of Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation, Wanyubi Marika hopes mine site regeneration will bring good jobs and that the region can be rebranded as an international tourism destination for those wanting to experience life among descendants of the world’s oldest continuous culture.

“We are private sector, we invest locally, but governments need to provide the essential services, schools and roads,” he said.

“We have a vision to show ourselves, investing for our economic survival.”

“We want to be heard. This is our voice now. Always was, always will be,” Wityana Marika added.

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