PRESS RELEASE: Unceded and Unresolved: Sovereign Yidindji Government Calls on Australia to Settle the Question of Sovereignty and Crown Land

PRESS RELEASE

Unceded and Unresolved: Sovereign Yidindji Government Calls on Australia to Settle the Question of Sovereignty and Crown Land

Cairns, Queensland — 28 December, 2025 —

The Sovereign Yidindji Government today released a landmark press statement underscoring its position that Australia must move beyond symbolic recognition and meaningfully engage with the unresolved question of Indigenous sovereignty and Crown land rights.

Drawing from the Yidindji Position Paper 2025, the Government emphasises that no treaty was ever signed, sovereignty was never ceded, and Crown land was never lawfully acquired by British colonisers or the subsequent Australian state. This has profound legal, constitutional, and moral implications that cannot be deferred.

The press release highlights key distinctions between private property — which the Yidindji Government explicitly respects and does not seek to challenge — and Crown land, which forms the core of the Yidindji claim. Native title and prescribed body corporate structures, while important within Australian law, are described as insufficient and inherently limited frameworks that fail to address the fundamental sovereignty issue.

Instead, the Sovereign Yidindji Government urges Australia to engage in negotiation between equals, grounded in international law and practical pathways toward coexistence without dispossession. Such negotiations would encompass lawful settlement of governance, economic development, and mutual prosperity.

Key Messages

Sovereignty was never ceded. The Yidindji Nation maintains that sovereignty continues to exist under traditional law and was never lawfully extinguished.

Crown land belongs to first-in-time owners. The legal foundation for Crown ownership of land is invalid without voluntary cession or conquest.

Native title is insufficient. Issued by the same Crown whose claim rests on outdated legal fictions, native title does not resolve the deeper question of sovereignty.

Coexistence is possible. The Yidindji Government seeks practical arrangements that preserve private property, enable infrastructure development, and strengthen regional resilience.

Development vision for the future. The press release also outlines opportunities on Yidindji land for housing, energy generation, transport infrastructure, and strategic collaborations that benefit Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities alike.

Narrative Biographies (For Media Use)

Gaan-Yarra Yalmabara

Attorney-General & Minister for the Treasury, Sovereign Yidindji Government

Gaan-Yarra is a senior Lawman and one of the Tribal Elders for the Tablelands Region. He speaks for country and works closely with Bumi and other elders. In his government role he stewards legal and fiscal governance, articulating the nation’s sovereign framework and advocating for lawful settlement grounded in international and Indigenous law whilst being mindful of the findings in the Australian High Court and other Courts. He is the principal legal architect behind the Yidindji Position Paper 2025 and gratefully acknowledges assistance from prominent Australian Constitutional Law Professors at ANU, ACU and elsewhere.

Bumi Gimuybara

Chief Minister & Police Minister, Sovereign Yidindji Government

Bumi is the senior Lawman and Tribal Elder for the Coastal Region. He speaks for country. His government role oversees governance continuity and community safety, ensuring executive decision-making honours both traditional law and contemporary governance requirements. His leadership supports institutional integrity during ongoing sovereign development.

Saint Murrumu of Walubara

Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Communications, Renewable Energy and Financial Technology, Sovereign Yidindji Government

Murrumu brings global perspective and experience to his ministerial portfolios. A former journalist and long-time advocate for Indigenous self-determination, he leads external engagement and strategic development initiatives consistent with sovereignty and self-governance.

Lou Molloy

Special Envoy – Commercial Affairs, Sovereign Yidindji Government

Lou supports long-term, economically sustainable development aligned with Yidindji sovereignty. With over 40 years of leadership experience across business, international finance and infrastructure, he leads commercial strategy, partnership development, and projects that reinforce self-determined economic pathways.

About the Sovereign Yidindji Government

The Sovereign Yidindji Government is an Indigenous nation located in Far North Queensland that asserts unceded sovereignty under its own laws and traditions. It operates governance structures, ministries, and legal frameworks that reflect both traditional Yidindji law and contemporary institutional practices. The Government promotes self-determination, lawful settlement, and economic development on its homelands.

For further information, interviews, or media assets, please contact:

Office of Communications

Sovereign Yidindji Government

12-14 Lake Street, Cairns, QLD 4870

✉️ [email protected]

🌐 https://www.yidindji.org

0451 374 727

YIDINDJI SOVEREIGNTY – INTERVIEW Q & A TALKING POINTS

1. What is the Yidindji Nation actually asking for?

The Yidindji Nation is not seeking symbolism, compensation, or private property. We are asking for recognition of the legal reality that our sovereignty was never lawfully extinguished and for a proper settlement—through treaty—between sovereigns, in the correct capacity.

2. Are you trying to take back people’s homes or private land?

We have been explicit: we do not seek to dispossess families or businesses. Existing private titles are respected and can be affirmed. Our position relates to Crown land—land that was never lawfully acquired by the Crown after terra nullius was declared invalid.

3. Isn’t this just another version of native title?

Native title is issued by the Crown and always reserves ultimate rights to the Crown. That structure assumes Crown ownership, which is precisely what is in question. Native title may provide limited rights under Australian law, but it does not resolve the underlying sovereignty issue.

4. If the High Court rejected terra nullius, why hasn’t this been settled already?

Mabo addressed land ownership but deliberately avoided sovereignty. That left a legal and political gap. Governments since have tried to manage that gap through policy and symbolism rather than resolve it through lawful settlement.

5. Isn’t Australia already sovereign under its Constitution?

The Australian Constitution organises government among those who consented to federation. It cannot extinguish a sovereignty that pre-existed colonisation and was never ceded. Even parliamentary advice has repeatedly acknowledged that constitutional change does not affect First Nations sovereignty.

6. Are you declaring independence from Australia?

We are not rejecting coexistence with Australia. We are saying coexistence must be lawful and negotiated. A treaty is not about breaking Australia apart—it is about fixing what was never lawfully settled.

7. Why insist on a treaty?

A treaty is an agreement between sovereigns. State-based agreements cannot resolve sovereignty because states are not sovereign in international law. Only a treaty negotiated in the correct capacity can provide legal certainty for everyone.

8. Wouldn’t this create chaos or legal uncertainty?

Avoiding the issue does not make it disappear. It increases long-term risk. A negotiated settlement brings certainty, stability, and clarity for governments, investors, and communities alike.

9. What about economic development—how does this help everyday people?

The Yidindji Nation has a clear development vision: housing, renewable energy, jobs, transport infrastructure, and regional security cooperation. These projects benefit Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents alike and reduce dependency on government funding.

10. Why should non-Indigenous Australians care?

A nation built on unresolved legality carries risk. Settlement strengthens Australia’s legitimacy, stability, and international standing. This is not just an Indigenous issue—it’s a national one.

11. Is this realistic, or is it just theoretical?

The Yidindji Nation has rebuilt governance, law, and institutions. This is practical, disciplined work—not symbolism. The question is not whether it is realistic, but whether Australia is ready to engage seriously.

12. What’s the next step?

We are open to respectful, lawful negotiation. The door is open to treaty discussions grounded in reality, not denial. The next step depends on Australia’s willingness to engage honestly.

13. What do you say to critics who call this extreme?

We are advocating for lawful settlement, not confrontation. What is extreme is maintaining a national legal fiction indefinitely. Addressing reality is the moderate position.

14. Additional thoughts in closing?

“We’re not asking Australia to give something up—we’re offering a way to finally settle what was never lawfully settled.”

“Private homes aren’t at risk—uncertainty is.”

“Recognition doesn’t resolve sovereignty; a treaty does.”

Gaan-Yarra Yalmabara (Peter Fisher)
Attorney-General & Minister for the Treasury, Sovereign Yidindji Government
[email protected]
+61 423 064 296