Stop the NT Government from criminalising traditional burials

VICTORY! After pressure from Aboriginal organisations and communities and thousands of GetUp members, the NT Government has pulled it's controversial burial and cremation bill.

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Risk being fined $31,000 or sent to prison. This is what Aboriginal people in the NT could face for giving loved ones a traditional burial.¹

The NT Government is moving to introduce the Burial and Cremation Bill, legislation that not only dismisses Aboriginal lore, but actively punishes it.

Burial traditions are of great importance in Yolngu culture, as when a person dies they are seen as a sacred object. The community then buries the body on land tied to their ancestors, 'so that their spirit can return to the land from whence it came.'²

However, it has become increasingly difficult for Yolngu people to be returned to their traditional land. As such, many people bury their family members beside their homes 'to maintain the spiritual connection between the living and their ancestors.'³

But this meaningful rite is now at risk of being a criminal act.


^{Burunga community graves (ABC News:Terry McDonald)}

References:
'Burial bill 'the worst form of disrespect in the world' for Aboriginal communities', ABC News, 17 October 2019.